Nothing's Fair
by rarmaster
Summary: With Saix in charge of the Replica Program, life is hard for Roxas and other Replicas like him. Xion's got it even worse - she's a mistake, and all mistakes are destroyed. How far will Roxas go to protect her? - F t P verse book 3
1. Chapter 1

**AN/ **Welcome to the first chapter of Nothing's Fair! For those of you potentially a little confused: yes, this is a rewrite of a story that was posted on this site like three years ago, in 2012. The original has been taken down, and if you really wish to read it, for some strange reason, a link to where it's hosted on a separate site is on my profile.

"Why did I rewrite Nothing's Fair?" well, 1) it was the primary source of continuity errors within the FtPverse series (concerning the Rebellion, the Experiments, etc), and 2) I felt I could do the story much more justice with my current writing abilities.

As for timing: This actually begins _during _Falling to Pieces. Further timing details will, _eventually, _be put on the timeline on the FtPverse blogspot. And for old fans of the series, keep in mind that the Rebellion isn't in full swing yet. Strange feeling, huh?

Anyway, finally, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**

"It's a failure."

7 didn't look up. His eyes remained fixed on the cot, on which the new Replica lay. The sigh left his mouth unbidden, and he bit his lip to prevent another, hoping to mask his devastation. He'd known that building a Replica like this—deleting more than half the source data—was risky business, but they hadn't had another choice. They needed a Replica of Sora, and more importantly, a Replica that wouldn't struggle with the darkness like Sora himself was.

It wasn't even the darkness that was the problem. A Replica could wield darkness with no problem, provided the Darkness Protection Protocols were installed. The problem with the darkness in Sora's data lay in its amount. Too little to be wielded properly. Too much to leave alone. Their only option was to remove the darkness, and, unfortunately, a lot of Sora's data with it.

7 cleared his throat. "I… I wouldn't go as far as to say _failure, _37," he said.

His eyes trailed over the new Replica one more time. The Replica had taken the form of a girl with dark skin and darker hair. 7 wasn't quite sure _how _or _why, _besides perhaps the fact they'd cut out so much data that the default appearance for this new Replica _wasn't _Sora's. She—the new Replica—almost reminded 7 of that one friend Sora had… Kairi, was her name? The new Replica looked a little like Kairi.

"A mistake, then," 37 said. It was the contempt in his voice that made 7 look up.

"Xemnas wanted a Keyblade wielder," 7 said, with a shrug. "And if—"

"_Yes, _Lord Xemnas _did _want a Keyblade wielder," 26 broke in. "But look at this data, 7, look!" He gestured at the computer monitor that hung over the cot, the one that 7 had been avoiding looking at. "That's hardly sufficient for any Replica to run on, and you should know that."

7 glared at 26—he didn't glance at the monitor for more than a second. It would only dissuade him—not appreciating the interruption. If 26 had just let him finish…

"Why are you even here, 7?" 37 demanded. "Isn't this out of your jurisdiction? Since when do you _create _Replicas?"

7 took a deep breath. Anger would not help him here, not if he wanted to be listened to. When he spoke, he spoke very slowly. It was, in part, to make sure that he was heard, but also to be sure he could rein his emotions.

"I am a Medic. I am here to fix anything that goes wrong, such as this."

26 shook his head, angrily. "There is nothing to salvage, 7. We put in too little data. It'll be faster to just start a new Replica—we'll have to deactivate this one."

He turned his attention to the monitor in front of him. He and 37 both had one, so they could work on the Replica concurrently, and double check each other's work. Had this been mere months ago, Master Vexen would be standing at one of those computers. But Master Vexen was dead. The boy Riku had killed him, along with Zexion, Marluxia, and Larxene. Now Saix had the Program, and things were… uneasy, at best.

7 rubbed his head with a hand, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. He tried not to be too upset about Master Vexen's death, though it was hard. Death was always hard, being a Medic. You were built to keep Replicas alive. Master Vexen was no Replica, of course, but it still hadn't been easy.

_And as for Riku, well… I will reserve judgment about him until I meet him… _7 thought._ Master Vexen was our only real loss when he cut through Castle Oblivion, and I suppose, in building Namine, we had it coming._

He also supposed that having been in the World that Never Was at the time, he had a completely different perspective on the matter than anyone who'd been in Castle Oblivion. But back to the matter at hand. Back to the girl lying on the cot before him.

He was a Medic, he was built to fix things. He was built to repair flaws in data like this.

"If you give me some time…" he began.

26 just shook his head again. "Lord Xemnas wants a Keyblade Wielder _now, _7\. We don't have three months for you to fuss over this. We need to start over."

"Can we at least keep her alive?" 7 asked, very slowly, very calmly. He wouldn't argue with 26. 26 was right. It would be faster to start from scratch at this point. But it seemed cruel just to deactivate this girl, and if he had a little time… maybe he could work something out.

"And then what do we do with it?" 37 demanded. 7 cringed at his use of the word _it._ "Unless you want to take care of it and shirk all your duties, 7, this Replica is more effort than its worth. 26 is right. We have to deactivate it."

"And if I'm prepared to look after her?" 7 asked.

"Look, 7, I know it's not easy for you," 26 said, gently. Well, perhaps _gently _wasn't the best way to put it, but he spoke calmly, and was certainly kinder than he'd been before, and much kinder than 37. "I hate seeing all this work go down the drain as much as you do, but I do not really think either of us want to deal with Xemnas when he discovers we have failed him, and are not already working to fix it."

7 grit his teeth. He could point out that as long as they started working on a new Replica right away, it wouldn't matter what they did with the girl—but at this point, he doubted it would convince them. That was alright, though. There were other ways he could save her.

"Can I have a day? To look over the data, and to see if I can come up with anything?"

37 laughed. "And say you _do _come up with something! What then? We still have to wait for you to—"

"Oh, let him have a day," 26 waved 37's protests aside. "I need to look through Sora's data anyway, to see what I can possibly include from it that won't cause problems."

"Thank you," 7 said.

26 said nothing. He considered the computer in front of him for a long moment, then pulled away from it. When he turned his attention to 7, his expression was dark. "Once the day is up, though…" he said. "And if you have not come up with anything, you will have to deactivate her yourself. If I find she hasn't been, I will march you straight to Lord Xemnas and tell him how _you _have failed him."

7 cringed. The punishment was harsh, but… It would not matter, when the day was through. It would not matter. He nodded his head in agreement, and 26 and 37 left him.

**xxx**

Awake. She'd never been awake before. It was interesting, to say the least, though amazing might have been a better word for it. She wasn't just awake, she was _alive, _and there were so many new things to take in. The white walls that surrounded her. The feel of a cot against her back, of the clothes on her skin, of the hand clamped over her mouth. Few sounds. An awful smell—

Wait a minute.

She jolted and reached up to grab at the hand, defensive instincts—she didn't even know she had those!—kicking in. The hand was removed quickly, though, followed by a voice. A kind voice, though frantic and hushed.

"No no no no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry calm down, please. That wasn't the best idea I'll admit, in hindsight. I just need you to be very, _very _quiet."

The voice belonged to a Vexen Replica. She wasn't sure how she knew that he was a Vexen, but she supposed it made things easier.

"Who are you?" she asked, sitting up. "What's going on?"

"I am 7, and, as for what's going on… Well… To make a long story short—and I promise I will tell you everything else later, once you're safe—I'm smuggling you out of here."

"What?! _Why?_"

_Smuggling. _It took her a moment to put a definition to the word, but once she had, everything made even less sense. Why would she need to be _smuggled _anywhere?

The question seemed to make 7 uncomfortable, but he didn't hesitate to answer. "Because there are two other Vexens who think you should be deactivated."

_Deactivated! _That helped even less!

"Why? Is there something wrong with me?"

First 7 looked pained, then his expression softened quite drastically. "When you are safe. I will tell you when you are safe." He reached up to the comset on his ear. "R? Are we good to go?"

"You never told me where you were heading."

The voice came from the comset—a woman's voice, that sounded more amused than anything else. It wasn't very loud, and it was a little distorted by static, but it came through clear enough. The only surprise was that she could _hear _it, when it was on 7's ear, and not her own.

"I don't know!" 7 replied. "Somewhere out of the way."

"No one goes to the basements."

"Basements, then—anywhere in particular clearer than the rest?"

"It will take me too long to check every room, 7, and you know it."

"You know what, never mind, I have a better idea."

She listened intently, trying to make more sense of what was going on. She was being smuggled. She apparently should be deactivated. They were heading somewhere out of the way—those were the facts. And 7 and this R apparently knew each other, though she wasn't sure how.

7 formed a dark corridor. "Alright, come on," he said, nodding towards it and then stepping through. She hesitated a moment, then decided _deactivation _was not a fate she really wanted to face. She followed.

"This was your _better idea?_" R was asking when she stepped out onto the other side of the dark corridor. It had to be R. The voice was the same. R was a Larxene.

7 waved her accusation off. "Well, this way, I can look and see which—"

He stopped after a step towards R's computer. The look R gave him was murderous, and she moved as if to shield the computer from him. He let out a long sigh.

"Uhm? 7? Do I get a name?"

"You didn't name her?" R asked. The murderous look had fallen from her face the moment 7 stopped looking at her computer, and now she just seemed amused again.

"I… I hadn't gotten to it," 7 said. "How does… _Xion _sound?"

"I get a say?"

That was a surprise, really. If she'd known she had a say in what her name would be, she wouldn't have asked. She would've just declared a name for herself. Not that she could _think_ of a name…

7 smiled broadly at her. "I don't see why you shouldn't! It doesn't have to be Xion, of course, it was just a suggestion…"

"No, I think… I think I like the sound of Xion."

She said the name—her name—slowly, testing how it felt on her tongue. _Xion. _It was a nice name. Her name.

"Xion it is!"

R raised her eyebrows. "_Xion_? Is that the _best_ you could come up with?"

"Well, on short notice—" 7 began. R just rolled her eyes and turned away, as if it weren't a good enough excuse. "Like _you _could've done any better?"

"I've always liked the name Rachel," R said.

"Mmhmm."

"Rachel is a very pretty name," Xion told R, smiling. "But I think I like Xion much more."

"See, if she likes it, then it's a fine name," 7 said, haughtily.

R just rolled her eyes again.

"Anyway, Xion…" 7 softened immediately. "Do you mind staying here with R for a bit? I need to figure out where we're going to hide you—unfortunately, finding somewhere for you to lay low is… Well, we'll figure it out. I'll figure it out."

"Uh…" That wasn't exactly soothing at all, but Xion bit her lip after the initial sound of protest. It had to be better than being deactivated, right? "Okay," she said.

"Good. I'll be right back." 7 formed another dark corridor, and then was gone.

"I don't get it," Xion said, slowly. "Why didn't he have more of this stuff figured out beforehand? Wouldn't that have been the smart thing to do? Iron out the details and _then _set the plan into action?"

R spun back and forth in her chair a bit, her eyes fixed on her computer, and not on Xion. "He was on a time limit," she replied, distractedly. "If he hadn't needed me to mess with the security cameras for him, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have even told me what he was doing until he had you somewhere safer."

"What'd you have to do with the security cameras?"

"Make it so no one saw him smuggle you out."

"Oh."

R swiveled back around in her chair to face her computer. She began typing, not frantically, but quickly, like she'd had years of practice. Xion couldn't quite see what she was doing—and didn't want to pry—but she did see the words _virus 13 _at the top of the screen. The word _virus_ sparked a couple of red flags in her mind, but…

"Oh shoot!" she exclaimed.

R looked up at her. "Hmm?"

"I meant to ask him why I was supposed to be deactivated…" Xion answered. She folded her arms across her chest, feeling quite upset that she'd forgotten to ask.

R turned back to her computer, and she sounded extremely disinterested when she answered. "Insufficient data, apparently—that's what he told me, anyway."

"What's that mean?"

R groaned a little, and after a second of tapping the keys of her keyboard with annoyance, turned to Xion again.

"It means there isn't enough data in you to function," she said. Xion felt something in her chest constrict. The tone of R's voice wasn't helping. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't collapse two second after 7 activated you. Better thank your lucky stars."

"I don't… have any…"

"It's an expression."

Xion swallowed. She rubbed at her arms, wondering why she suddenly felt so cold.

"So… I should be dead now?" she asked.

"Well, that's what _insufficient data _generally means. I can't quite say 26 and what's-his-face were wrong, saying you should be deactivated."

"That's mean!"

Xion felt a little dumb shouting that at anyone, but the words had already left her mouth. R didn't even look phased.

"But what happens when you don't have enough data to process simple actions, huh?" R asked. Her voice shook, but Xion got the feeling that was from anger more than anything else. "Like walking, or talking, or, I don't know, _breathing. _That sounds like a _horrible _death to face. Slow and painful."

Xion's chest grew tighter. She felt even colder. "Is that… is that really…?"

"Insufficient data means you shouldn't be able to do those things in the first place—whatever data is allowing you to know will inevitably fail, and then—"

R's words were cut off by the opening of a dark corridor. Xion's heart leapt to her throat, but it was only 7. His smile quickly became concern, as he looked between R and Xion.

"She asked me what insufficient data meant, so I told her," R said, before he could ask.

"More like you scared her!" 7 shot a glare at R, then moved to Xion. He grabbed her by the shoulders, which surprised her. "Don't worry," he said, firmly. "I'll fix it. I will. Okay?"

Xion nodded.

"Better be quick," R said. "No telling how long she has."

"Would it kill you to not be brutally honest for just a _second?_" 7 demanded.

"Yes."

"It's okay," Xion mumbled. "I think I'd rather know than not."

7 sighed, then let go of her. He nodded at the dark corridor.

"Come on. I've got a room for you to stay in, now."

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

26 looked up, idly, and then nearly knocked over his chair in his haste to rise to his feet.

"Lord- Lord Xemnas," he stammered, quick to make a half-bow of respect at the leader of the Organization. "It is- it's a pleasure to see you here, of all places. If you'd forgi—"

"I heard that Replica of Sora I was having you build failed," Xemnas said. His gaze was not on 26—nor 37, who'd risen from his spot from the other computer—but on the empty cot. 7 had taken care of the failed Replica yesterday, just like he'd been told to.

26 swallowed, mind spinning for an excuse. _Insufficient data. It wasn't entirely my fault. I did all I could. I'm working to fix it now—_but he had no chance to say any of them. Xemnas was suddenly holding out a card to him.

"Here. Supplemental data."

"Uhm—"

"The other Replica failed due to insufficient data, did it not?"

"Y- yes." Then he realized what Xemnas meant. He took the card. "Of course. I understand." He looked over the card, and then balked. "Ah, but this is…? These are memory files."

"The last Replica made out of memory data might as well have failed!" 37 protested. 26 cringed at his tone. He _dared _speak to Xemnas like that? He was either incredibly brave, or horribly foolish.

"We can't be so certain about the Namine girl," 26 said, hastily. "No one's seen her more than once."

"And what about 43? We had to deactivate him," 37 countered. "Using memories alone would be—"

"I am not asking you to use memories alone," Xemnas interrupted. 26 couldn't tell if he was upset or amused, which made him uncomfortable. "Surely, a combination of this data I have given you along with Sora's will be able to make a Replica more stable than the last one."

26 nodded, slowly.

"Of- of course."

37 grunted.

Xemnas nodded, heading for the door. "Treat those with care—I do believe I was fond of those memories, back when I had a heart." Then he left.

"Fond of the memories?" 37 asked, then laughed. "I don't know what kind of man Xemnas was when he was human, but I highly doubt he had any memories to be _fond _of."

"It doesn't matter," 26 said. "You can go, 37. I can look over these on my own."

"And you won't need my help when it comes to building the Replica, I imagine?"

26 grimaced at the bitterness in 37's tone.

"Well, if you aren't willing to give it."

37 huffed, and left.

**xxx**

Creating a Replica alone wasn't exactly difficult, and perhaps 26 was quite happier without 37 nagging over his shoulder. It still wasn't an _easy _process, and took him the better part of two days. But finally, he was done.

He sent one last look over the Replica—Roxas, he supposed he should call it—who lay peacefully on the cot. The Replica—Roxas—had not taken Sora's face, either, like the last Replica. Instead, he took the face of a boy with blond hair. The boy from the data Xemnas had presented.

26 couldn't quite form an opinion on the data Xemnas had given him. It was sparse, though not as unstable as he'd feared it'd be. And the boy it concerned… the boy whose data he'd used to build Roxas, combined with Sora's data… Xemnas's connection to the boy was unclear, and the data vague at best.

It'd been enough, at least.

_I suppose the real question is: why didn't Xemnas present the data sooner?_

That was a question he'd never have an answer to.

And he'd dallied enough. He'd already made the call to inform Xemnas that Roxas was ready some time ago. If he waited any longer, they'd be late—it was time to get Roxas up and running.

26 entered the ACTIVATE command on the computer. Roxas opened his eyes.

**xxx**

Awake. He'd never been awake before. Roxas—though he did not yet know that was his name—blinked a few times. After a second of getting used to being awake, he pushed himself upright. There was a man looking expectantly at him. A Vexen. A Replica.

"Good morning," the Vexen said, pleasantly. "Or, actually, I think _good afternoon _is the proper terminology, now. Hard to tell, though, with how time passes in this place."

Roxas blinked. Was the Vexen trying to make a _joke?_

"Good morning," he replied, unsure of how to respond to the joke.

"I am 26," the Vexen said, pointing at himself. "And you—" he pointed at Roxas "—your name is Roxas. Got it?"

"Roxas. Got it."

His mind felt a little foggy. Was it supposed to?

"Are you… alright?" 26 asked.

"Hmm?" It took a second for the question to process. Once it did, he broke into a grin. "Yeah! I'm fine. Sorry. Still getting used to being… a- awake."

The word _alive _buzzed on his tongue before it became the word _awake. _He moved to get out of the cot he was in.

"Much better!" 26 said, looking quite pleased. "Now, come, I'll have to introduce you to everyone now."

Roxas hopped to his feet. "Who's everyone?"

"You'll see."

26 formed a dark corridor. He gestured for Roxas to go first. Roxas stared a moment, wondering what was on the other side, wondering if it was really a good idea to go first. But what did he have to be afraid of? 26 was an ally. He took a deep breath, and stepped through the corridor.

He stepped out into a large room which he really couldn't see the ends of. He was standing on a circular platform in the middle, and all around him were tall—impossibly tall, really—chairs. Half of them were filled with people, all in black cloaks. The black was a sharp contrast to the white and pale greys that filled the rest of the room.

Roxas didn't realize he was staring, nor that he'd stopped moving, until 26 was nudging him forward. He sent a questioning look back at 26, ready to ask who all these people where, when one of them started talking. The one sitting in the tallest chair in the center. A name flickered in his head. _Xemnas._

"I am pleased to introduce the new member that will be joining our ranks." Xemnas spoke with a deep voice, a voice that Roxas couldn't tell if it sounded bored or pleased or… What Xemnas said next stopped him from trying to puzzle it out further. "Number 13, Roxas."

That was his name.

He was the new member of this… Organization. Organization 13. Information bubbled at the back of his mind.

"Axel," a new voice said. The voice belonged to someone with blue hair. "Would you mind showing Roxas around?"

It was a man with red hair that replied. "Well if it's a question, I really wouldn't—"

"I was being polite and making it a question, rather than flat out order you to, Axel."

The red-haired man—Axel—groaned and grumbled, but didn't protest further. He formed a dark corridor around himself, which opened right next to Roxas. Roxas jumped a little, and immediately felt embarrassed. Even more surprising than Axel's sudden appearance though, was 26's disappearance. Roxas couldn't remember hearing a dark corridor opening to signal his departure.

_Oh well… _Roxas thought. There was nothing he could do about it now, nothing he could've done about it at all. Axel grabbed him by the shoulder, directing him towards a new dark corridor.

"Come on, kid, I'll show you around," he said. It sounded like he spoke through gritted teeth.

Roxas didn't see why showing him around was such an undesirable job, and Axel's clear displeasure at having do so ticked him off. He bit his lip and said nothing though. He couldn't say anything until they were through the dark corridor.

Once they were through, though, he completely forgot he was annoyed at Axel.

This room was grey, entirely so, and Roxas couldn't help but gape. Not at the color, of course. Nor at the two sets of couches, or the strange creature floating in the corner, or the far wall which was entirely glass, looking over a night sky. No, what _really _had his attention was the people milling about. All Replicas.

He spotted two Zexions—that name was new, but he didn't doubt it—on one of the couches, heads pressed together as they argued over a book. Two Vexens. One was glancing over a handful of papers, the other sitting and doing nothing but watching the room intently. Three Larxenes—another new name—huddled in a corner by the window, speaking in hushed tones and sending glares at the group of kids running through the room.

The group of kids came up to Roxas immediately. In the front was a boy with dark hair that fell into his face in a way that screamed _Zexion _to Roxas. He wore a wide smile on his lips. Flanking him were two boys. The one on the right had blond hair, which was slicked back and fell to his shoulders—this boy wore a smirk that didn't look too pleasant. The boy on the left had short pink hair, and was currently in the middle of stifling a yawn.

"HI!" the boy in front said, enthusiastically. "My name's Joseph, and these are my friends: Raymond, and Patrick." He pointed first to the pink haired boy, then the blond one with the foul smirk, then returned his attention to Roxas. "You're new."

Roxas found a smile tugging on his lips. "Yeah, only just woke up a few minutes ago." Maybe that wasn't the _best _way to introduce himself, but it _felt _natural. Oh, and of course: "I'm Roxas."

"Run along Joseph, I'm in the middle of giving him a tour," Axel said. He sounded only mildly annoyed, now, compared to earlier.

"Ooh ooh ooh!" Joseph jumped up and down with his excitement. "Can I help? Can I come with? I know all sorts of great places to show him and—"

Axel was quick to dismiss the offer. "Maybe later kid. Don't you have some prank to pull or something? I think the Larxenes are in for one."

Roxas looked up at Axel, a little surprised. Should he be encouraging this? Pranks? What was a group of kids doing here anyway?

"Exactly what I was thinking," Patrick said, with a firm nod. The smirk widened.

"Aww, but they always get so _angry_," Raymond whined.

"Which is why it's _fun,_" Patrick replied.

Joseph just rolled his eyes. "Look, Roxas, when Axel's done showing you around, meet me here okay? There are so many places I gotta show you that he's gonna leave out, mainly because they're…" He paused, then leaned forward and continued in a dramatic whisper: "_secrets._"

Roxas laughed. "Yeah, okay!" He didn't see the problem in humoring the boy. Besides, maybe it'd be fun.

"Great!"

"You gonna show him the rooms in Castle Oblivion, too?" Patrick asked, as they started off.

"Duh!"

Roxas waited until they were out of immediate earshot, then turned to Axel. "Who were they? I mean, they introduced themselves, but…" He paused. He was wondering why a bunch of kids were hanging around here, but he hardly knew where _here _was. Besides, they hadn't looked much younger than himself…

"But what are a bunch of kids doing around here, huh?" Axel asked. "They're experiments created by Vexen—before he died, anyway. Something about combining data from separate people or something. I don't know, and frankly don't care."

"Oh…"

Axel sent him a confused look. "Don't you have this sorta stuff programmed into your head, being a Replica and all?"

Roxas shrugged.

"Well, whatever. This is called the Grey Area." Axel gestured at the room in front of them. "You'll come here every morning to get missions."

"Got it."

"Your room is this way." Axel turned away from the Grey Area and started walking. He waved a hand at Roxas to follow.

Roxas wasn't sure how many halls they went down, but he wasn't too worried about it. Those dark corridors could get him anywhere.

"Here you go." Axel pushed one of the doors open. "This is your room. Sleep tight. You got missions first thing tomorrow. Don't worry too much about 'em, though, it's your first day so they'll probably go easy on you." He nodded, satisfied. "Yeah, I think that's all I need to show you. I can't imagine what the heck else they wanted me doing."

"Okay," Roxas said, not really minding too much. It was clear Axel didn't want to be here, and Roxas didn't see the point in making him stick around. Even if he still wanted more help navigating this place, Joseph had already offered.

"See ya tomorrow then," Axel said. He paused halfway out the door, though. "Ah yeah, they'd probably want me to tell you you're supposed to keep a diary. There's probably one in your desk."

Roxas raised his eyebrows at this news. "Why?"

Axel shrugged. "Dunno. Easier not to ask in some cases. Anyway…" He waved. "See ya."

He left.

"Huh," Roxas said, to himself. Were all the Organization members this strange, or was it just Axel? He went over to the desk—his desk—and easily found a leather-bound journal that was likely meant to be his diary. He rifled through its blank pages a few times, before setting it back down.

He'd worry about writing in it later. Right now he was going to take Joseph up on that offer for a tour.

**xxx**

All the other members had left, now, including the newly built Roxas. Xigbar let out a slight laugh, and turned his attention to Xemnas. "Didn't expect _his _face to be walking around again, eh boss?" he asked.

"I cannot say I am quite so surprised," Xemnas answered. It was hard to tell from this distance—it always was—but Xigbar thought he saw a smile on Xemnas's lips. "After all, if the first Replica of Sora did not take his face, why should the second?"

Xigbar laughed. "True!" he admitted. "But if you had those memories just lyin' around, why didn't you cough 'em up sooner? Or is that not my place to ask…?"

"There was no need until Sora's data failed us," Xemnas said, with a shrug.

"We've been needing Kingdom Hearts for three years, though, boss."

"It would not have done us any good if we did not yet have enough members."

Xigbar rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and now we're four short!"

Xemnas did not answer for a while, not that Xigbar quite expected him to. Xigbar had him at this point, after all! Xemnas would eventually come up with some rebuttal, but until then, all Xigbar could do was wait and enjoy his small victory.

"Tell me, Xigbar," Xemnas said, finally. "Would you wish a pair of Replicas walking around with the old Keyblade heroes' faces, if it was avoidable?"

"Ah! I see your point there!" There was nothing to do but agree, though there was a fair bit in that logic, at least. Xigbar squinted, after a moment, considering Xemnas carefully. "But, hey, considering recent developments… what about, y'know, _Terra? _You think he's going to—"

"No. I do not think he will cause any problems."

"You _sure?_"

"He hasn't yet, has he?" And at that, Xemnas laughed. "And even if he could, I still do not think he has the strength. He hasn't had that in years."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

Roxas wasn't sure how he was supposed to tell how late was _late, _not when it was perpetually night here, but clearly he wasn't late at all. No one yelled at him for being late when he got to the Grey Area, so clearly he was on time. Not many people were in the Grey area, though. Three Organization members: Saix standing by the expansive window, Axel on one of the couches, opposite of Demyx. Only two Replicas: one Zexion and one Vexen, sitting on a couch on the opposite side of the room from Demyx and Axel, deep in conversation.

"You need anything, kupo?"

Roxas turned to the source of the voice, and found a… Moogle. Yeah, Moogle was the name of this creature. He smiled a little at the sight of it in a black Organization cloak. He went over to it, curious. Information burned in his mind, but he pushed it away—he liked actually _learning _things, rather than just _knowing _them. It wouldn't be too much effort to ask the Moogle what it was doing here.

"We have all sorts of things available to buy, kupo!" the Moogle exclaimed as he drew nearer.

"Really?" Roxas asked. "Like what?"

"Potions and ethers and elixirs, of course! For your missions!"

"To buy, huh…?" Roxas grimaced, rubbing his chin for a second. "Oh… I don't have any munny…"

The Moogle fluttered impatiently. "Then why are you over here, kupo!?"

"Sorry. I'm new."

That statement didn't seem to calm the Moogle much, so Roxas left it there and headed over to Saix. He was supposed to get his missions from Saix.

"You're on a mission with Axel today, Roxas," Saix said, hardly looking up at him.

"Hey wait a sec!" Axel jolted up from his position on the couch. "Why did you not tell _me _that until right now? I gotta… prepare and stuff!"

"Is preparation _really _what you're upset about?" Saix muttered.

Axel fumed. Even so, he got to his feet, coming over to join them. He may not have seen a point in arguing about this arrangement, but Roxas did.

"Look, if you don't want to go on missions with me, then… I- I don't want to go on missions with you," he told Axel, in the haughtiest voice he could manage. He crossed his arms over his chest to emphasize the point.

"That's not an option," Saix said, not even blinking. "You're on a mission with Axel, no buts."

"Well if he's going to argue—" Axel began, but was silenced by a glare from Saix. Axel sighed. "_Fine. _Where are we going?"

Saix almost looked pleased to see that he was being listened to. "Twilight Town. The usual tutorials will do."

"Yeah, yeah…" Axel rolled his eyes and opened a dark corridor.

"You aren't going to bother telling him to prepare? How to equip himself properly? Buy poti—"

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" Axel snapped, cutting Saix off. He nodded his head at the dark corridor. "Come on Roxas, let's go."

Roxas looked between Axel and Saix, chewing on his words for a moment. Deciding he was going to say it, he burst: "But what if I don't want to go on a mission with him?"

If Axel was going to be a grump about having to show him around, he could be a grump about it too. It was only fair, wasn't it? Of course it was.

"You're on a mission with Axel, and that is final. I suggest you do not argue again." Saix said. He sent a stern look at Roxas over his clipboard, a look which made Roxas regret even saying anything to begin with. After a moment, he turned to Axel. "Report to 26 when you're done, he'll want updates." Once Axel nodded, Saix left.

"Updates on what?" Roxas asked. He had to ask Axel, as much as that bugged him. There was no other option.

"You, likely, and how you're doing," Axel replied. He sounded the opposite of thrilled. "Which is _dumb, _and I don't like this any more than you do, but it looks like we have no choice. Oh well…" He sent a smile over at Roxas—a cocky grin, really. "These tutorial missions are easy! We'll have 'em done in five minutes, and then we can go our separate ways."

"Sounds good to me."

**xxx**

Twilight Town was a quiet world, made entirely of a city dyed by the colors of the sunset. Everything had a faint orange glow to it, and even the buildings were made out of some orange brick. That, or everything just looked like this because it was perpetually sunset in this world. Roxas wasn't exactly sure. He thought it looked pretty, regardless of _how _they got everything this orange-gold color that it was.

Axel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I should _probably _do the responsible thing and tell you not to argue with Saix like that—but I also can't stand the thought of telling anyone to just smile and nod to everything he says." He clapped Roxas on the shoulder, grinning. "So good job! I was definitely rooting for you."

"And not just because you didn't really want to go on missions with me?" Roxas asked, shrugging Axel's hand off.

"Look, kid, it's not you—"

"My name's Roxas!"

Axel sighed again.

"Look, _Roxas, _it's nothing against you," he said. "It's everything against having to go through the _tutorial _missions with you. I don't even think you _need _them!"

"Uh, thanks?"

Roxas wasn't quite sure if any of that was supposed to be a compliment or not. At least Axel didn't, like, hate him or anything… right? He was still puzzling it out when Axel started walking, leading them through town. It didn't take very long for Roxas to start gaping at the scenery and forget about everything else. Even the underground of the town was as gorgeous as the aboveground. Everything was still made out of that orange brick, and the neon signs glowed brighter down here than they did above ground. It was mesmerizing.

He was just about to ask Axel what the _goal _of this mission was, anyway, when he realized something else. "Hey, wait a sec!" He stopped walking, sending an accusing look at Axel. "If we aren't supposed to argue with Saix, why were _you _doing it?"

"Hmm? Oh." Axel paused, too, and waved his hand as if batting the matter aside. "We used to know each other, so he's… Well, I wouldn't call him _lenient, _but—"

"_Used _to?" Roxas interrupted.

Axel shrugged. "Becoming a Nobody changes a lot of things—you'd be surprised. Now come on. We don't have time to just sit around and chit chat if we want these missions to be over with already."

Roxas had to run a little to catch up to Axel. He didn't stop talking, though. "Guess I'm lucky then, since I'm not a Nobody." He laughed a little—it was supposed to be a joke.

"I'm not so sure I'd enjoy being the Organization's perfect little pet any better, but… if you say so."

Axel's words took Roxas by surprise. He stopped studying one of the neon signs with a jolt, and turned to stare at Axel.

"What's _that _supposed to mean!?" he demanded.

"That by being a Replica under the Organization's control, you can be Rewritten to do their bidding whenever you step out of line. Doesn't sound very pleasant, if you ask me," Axel replied. Roxas couldn't tell if he sounded nonchalant or worried about the matter. Probably not worried, though. Dumb Nobodies and their lack of hearts.

"Are you- are you _serious?_" Roxas asked, the words catching in his mouth. Even if Axel wasn't worried, _he _was. No one had told him this! Not that he really had expected anyone to, but… But the Organization wouldn't _really _do that! …would they?

"Yeah," Axel said.

Roxas swallowed. "Has it- has it happened to anyone?"

"Eh, not yet, no," Axel admitted. "But that comes as a surprise more than anything else. With Vexen gone, no one's going to stop Xemnas from doing it—or Saix from doing it."

Roxas frowned at the sound of the name _Vexen. _It buzzed in his mind for a bit until whatever knowledge he had programed into him presented itself: Vexen was the old master of the Replica Program. He was the reason the technology even existed.

"Why… why would Vexen being gone make a difference?" Roxas asked, slowly. The information in his head didn't explain that bit. In fact, there was hardly any information on Vexen besides the basics.

"Because Vexen actually had the guts to tell Xemnas _no—_Saix, however… well, I'm sure he'd order a Rewrite before Xemnas even bothered." Axel looked a little miffed now. Except… he didn't have the heart to be miffed. Or feel any other emotion Roxas had previously attributed to him. Boy, Nobodies were confusing.

Roxas decided to change the subject back to something less confusing: "Saix is in charge of the Replica Program?"

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You didn't know that?"

"No, I did. I wanted clarification."

_I wanted the luxury of asking, actually, _Roxas thought. Having information stored into your head already was a pretty nice, he guessed, but it was also nice to be able to _ask _things.

Axel frowned like he was confused—Nobodies really _were _confusing!—but answered: "Yeah, he is."

"And… in charge of missions for the Organization members?"

"He was that before he was put in charge of the Replicas."

"…How does he manage both?"

Axel shrugged. "No clue, kid."

"I said my name's Roxas!"

"Roxas," Axel corrected, with another eye-roll. "Now are you going to keep asking questions, or do you want to get these missions over with already?"

"Sorry."

Axel started walking again. He didn't go very far though, soon enough he was stopping by a small alcove in the wall. He pointed.

"This is a treasure chest."

Roxas looked at it, then up at Axel. Was this a joke?

"Uh… _duh._"

"So you know what to do with it?"

This _had _to be a joke.

"Do you… _really _need to ask me that? You open it and there's _probably _stuff inside. That's what treasure chests are _typically _for. Who doesn't know that?"

"You'd be surprised." Axel's voice was deadpan, but he broke into a grin easily. "See? I said these missions weren't gonna take more than five minutes."

Roxas didn't argue there. He bent down to open the treasure chest…

It was locked.

"It's locked," he said, looking up at Axel.

Axel just raised his eyebrows, waiting. Then it clicked in Roxas's head. Keyblade.

He straightened and summoned it to him, pausing a second to appreciate it before even turning to the treasure chest a second time. He'd never summoned his Keyblade before. He studied it a second… it was silver and gold and rather plain… plus familiar—_Sora's, _he realized. It was identical to Sora's. That didn't come as a surprise, considering he _was _a Replica of Sora, nor was he really disappointed.

He spun the Keyblade in his hand once, then swung it down to meet the lid of the treasure chest. Something in his head whispered that simply tapping it would've done the trick, but it was fun to do the flair. The treasure chest popped right open. When he checked the contents, he found a potion. Just that. One potion.

"Well, now you don't have to worry about paying for one," Axel said. "You know what those do, right?"

Roxas nodded, sticking the potion in his pocket. He thought maybe that he should banish his Keyblade, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He liked how the metal felt warm in his palm.

Axel nodded at him, not even commenting about him keeping his Keyblade out. "Anyway, there are treasure chests all over, yata yata, keep an eye out for them. Got it?"

"Sure," Roxas said. "More importantly, though… who _places _these treasure chests? The Organization?"

"Heck if I know ki—Roxas."

"Huh." Roxas studied the empty treasure chest a second more. "Guess you can't argue with free stuff, though."

"Exactly!" Axel laughed. "Now, time for lesson two and the final lesson for today—Heartless."

Axel got a very serious look on his face. The Keyblade sang at Roxas's side.

"Alright," Roxas said.

"Your job, being the dude with the Keyblade, is to slay Heartless and collect hearts," Axel explained.

Roxas nodded. He felt like he knew that. But there was something he certainly didn't know:

"What for?"

"To make this thing called Kingdom Hearts that the boss wants."

Roxas frowned. Now that Axel said that, he felt like maybe he _had _known that. The words _Kingdom Hearts _rang very strongly in his ears.

"How long has he wanted that?" he asked, hardly realizing the words were leaving his mouth. "Since the Organization was founded? When was that? Years ago? What did he do about making Kingdom Hearts before, then, if I'm the only—"

"Didn't I say it was easier just to not ask questions?" Axel interrupted, raising his voice a little.

Roxas blinked.

"No?"

"Well. I should've."

Roxas swallowed. The questions still buzzed in his mind, but clearly Axel wasn't the person to ask. 26, maybe. Or Xemnas himself? That seemed like a bad idea, though.

"You know what you gotta do, then?" Axel asked, all business again.

Roxas nodded. "Kill Heartless. Collect hearts." He paused. "Uh, how do I collect hearts?"

Axel hesitated, too, a second before answering. "I think it's automatic," he replied, but he didn't sound too certain.

Roxas felt like that was the right answer, though, after hearing it. "That's good to know."

"Good!" Axel nodded a few times, looking satisfied. "Now I gotta take you through a battle or two with the Heartless before we can call it quits."

"It's been more than five minutes," Roxas said. Another joke. At least, he meant it to be.

There was a sting in Axel's voice when he said: "Then we best get finding Heartless, shouldn't we?"


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

Roxas brought his blade down through another Heartless—Emblem. Red Nocturne—relishing in how his Keyblade sang as it sliced through Heartless flesh—if you could call it flesh—in how the Heartless hardly took an attack to defeat. Fighting was so natural. So _thrilling. _He felt like he'd done this a million times before—though all the memories that bubbled in his mind were gone the moment he realized they were there—and it was, well… He'd already said _thrilling, _but describing it as _fun _didn't seem like a good idea.

"Why don't you try some magic?" Axel called from the sidelines. He didn't even have his chakrams out, not that Roxas minded. So far, he was doing fine on his own.

It took Roxas a second to figure out—to remember?—how to cast magic, but soon enough he was tossing a Blizzard at the nearest Red Nocturne. Blizzard, of course, because any other spell wouldn't have made any sense. The Red Nocturne died almost instantly, and he was glad to see it still released hearts, despite not being slain by the Keyblade itself. He cleared the rest of Red Nocturnes out with a few more blasts of Blizzard.

"Great!" Axel said. "Let's go find another batch."

Roxas ran after him, grinning. They only just entered another area of town—leaving the underground and coming out into one of the alleyways—when a small group of Heartless appeared. There were three of them, small and black… Shadows. That's what they were called. Roxas swiped his Keyblade through one, smirking when it died immediately. The smirk fell when he realized the lack of hearts.

"What? Why didn't that give off any hearts?"

"Hmm…" Axel bent down, snatching one up by the scruff of its neck. "Ah! It's a Pureblood, see?" He turned it a full 360 in his hands, so Roxas could see. "No Emblem."

"Oh. I only get hearts from Emblems."

Axel nodded, dropping the Heartless.

"You only get hearts from Emblems."

Roxas looked at the Shadows on the ground, cocking his head to the side. "Should I bother with them, do you think? Or just leave 'em?"

"I don't think it matters." Axel dusted off his hands. "If you think they'll be a nuisance, get rid of 'em, I guess. But otherwise…"

"Let's get going then."

"If you say so. One more batch, and we can RTC."

Roxas started to say he didn't mind spending a while longer fighting Heartless, but decided against it. Even though Axel's mood had brightened considerably, he still didn't seem keen on spending much more time out of his day on these missions.

"One more batch, then," Roxas agreed.

They started down the alley—the Shadows lost interest in them the moment they were five feet away.

"Why does Xemnas want Kingdom Hearts, anyway?" Roxas asked, taking his eyes away from the Shadows. "Do you know?"

"He told us it was so we could have hearts again," Axel replied. He didn't turn around.

"So it's really important, then?"

"…yeah."

Roxas frowned at Axel's back a moment. He slowly raised his eyebrows.

"You don't want a heart again?" he asked.

Axel finally turned around, looking incredulous. He laughed. "Well, I'm not against it, if that's what you're suggesting!"

Roxas frowned a second more, then dropped the matter. It wasn't like there was any use in trying to puzzle out how Axel was acting, anyway. He was a Nobody.

_I'll get the hang of this no heart, no emotions thing eventually, _Roxas thought, with a sigh.

The next batch of Heartless appeared the moment they stepped into the next area. It was another group of Red Nocturnes, which Roxas was quick to start shooting Blizzards at. Two Blizzards later, though, he was in for a surprise. No more would come.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you about the limit on magic casts, didn't I?" Axel laughed.

Roxas went rigid. "_What limit!?_" he demanded.

"You have a limit on how many times you can cast a spell."

Roxas gritted his teeth. He'd understood _that _bit. Oh well. It was a good thing Red Nocturnes died just as quickly with his Keyblade.

"I wouldn't be so upset! I hear you can equip more spells if you need to," Axel called. "I wouldn't know the exact limit on the amount or anything, but you can ask 26 or one of the other Vexens."

Roxas huffed, finishing off the last Red Nocturne. "Do _you _have a limit on how many spells you can cast?"

"Don't think so, not that I really use much magic besides Fire anyway—not that I'd really even call _that _magic… hmm…"

Roxas glared. "Why do _I_ have a limit and _you_ don't?"

"Probably to keep you from being overpowered or some other excuse like that," Axel said. His stance was casual, but his tone seemed pretty serious.

Roxas huffed again. _To keep him from being overpowered? _That was ridiculous! He knew enough about magic to know that even if he didn't have a limit on casts, he still wouldn't have _unlimited _magic. Magic sapped your strength.

_I guess a set limit so I don't tire myself out would make sense…. _Roxas thought, slowly, not that it made him feel much better. _It'd be a hassle if I drained myself so much I passed out on a mission, and then someone had to go collect me before Heartless finished me off…_

"Finally, I can call the missions complete," Axel said, walking over to join Roxas. "Let's RTC."

Roxas banished his Keyblade. "Don't we have to report to 26?"

Axel swore. "Right. Forgot about that. Let's go."

**xxx**

Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of Castle Oblivion. If the World that Never Was had been impressive, it wasn't nearly as impressive as this. The ceiling was higher than he could really see, and every wall, every decoration, every piece of furniture a near-blinding white. He hadn't gotten to visit any earlier than this—Joseph's tour had ended up only covering the World that Never Was.

The room before him was scattered with couches and tables and probably 20 or more Replicas. And _scattered _really was the right word—hardly any set of couches was within ten or fifteen feet of another, and the Replicas tended to be even further apart. The sheer size of the room only helped matters.

He counted five or so of each Replica as it was—at least, of Larxenes and Vexens. There were probably only three—or was it four?—Zexions, and definitely only four Marluxias. None of Lexaeus, though. Roxas hadn't seen _any _Lexaeus Replicas, though he knew there _were _some. There were also plenty of the Experiments running around—definitely five, at the least, though there may have been more. And in the back…

Roxas did a double take. It was hard to tell from this distance, but he was _pretty _sure the Replica he saw _wasn't… _Well, they definitely weren't a Replica of one of the Organization members, and they looked nothing like one of the Experiments. Too tall. Too old.

"What's up?" Axel asked. Roxas realized with a twinge of embarrassment that he'd stopped walking. He looked at his toes for a second, then back up—

—the mystery Replica was gone.

"I… nothing," he said. His eyes searched to see where they had gone, though.

"That doesn't sound like nothing," Axel laughed. "What was it, huh? A pretty girl?"

To Roxas's horror, he felt himself blush. He didn't know why. He hardly got a glance of the Replica—were they even a Replica?—and from that glance they hadn't _looked _like a pretty girl. They'd been too far away. Why was he so excited about the idea of it being a pretty girl, anyway?

Before he could say something to counter Axel's claim, Axel laughed even louder and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hah, I'm just kidding you! There are no pretty girls around here—just Larxenes!"

One of the nearby Larxene Replicas sneered and made a crude gesture at him. Roxas wasn't looking to see how Axel'd responded. He was scanning the room again, hoping to see the Replica…

That's when 26 walked up, stopping Roxas's search.

"How were your missions today, Roxas?" 26 asked, pleasantly.

"Great," Roxas said. "Uh, a little boring, I guess, but what else can you expect from a first day?"

26 nodded. "Good to hear."

"He performed just fine, before you ask," Axel said.

26's features immediately fell into a glare, and his shoulders dropped into an annoyed slouch. Axel didn't seem the slightest bit bothered.

"What?" he continued. "You want me to wait until the kid's out of earshot just so I can tell you that he's doing fine?"

"_Well…_" 26 began.

"Why do you even want to know how I did?" Roxas asked, before he could finish.

26's glare deepened, but he straightened his shoulders and held himself higher this time. "If there is a failure in your data, the sooner we know about it, the better," he answered. There was a sneer in his voice.

"No glitches," Axel assured 26. "Just a bit of smartassery."

"Yeah, no glit—_hey!_"

Axel just patted Roxas on the shoulder. "I hope I don't have any missions with you tomorrow, kid," he said, and then he was gone. It almost sounded like 26 muttered _good riddance, _but Roxas couldn't be sure.

Roxas thought about going after Axel for a second—or maybe taking a quick look around the place to see if he could figure out where that mystery Replica had gone. He decided he definitely didn't want to go after Axel, and after a little more consideration figured that looking for the mystery Replica wasn't the greatest idea. Castle Oblivion was large. There were many places they could've gone, and he had nowhere near enough time to check them all—no one did.

Instead, Roxas returned his attention to 26. "So, what is Castle Oblivion, anyway?" he asked. Outside of a general 'this is the other place the Organization has control over' he'd gotten from Joseph yesterday, he didn't have much of a clue. Granted, he probably could've checked the information stored in his brain, but he really _did _enjoy the luxury of _asking _questions.

"Replica Headquarters," 26 replied, slowly. He was sending Roxas a curious—or perhaps confused—look. Whatever he was thinking, it didn't stop him from explaining, at least. "Well, for the most part," he corrected. "It was initially the research space Master Vexen was granted to develop his Replica Program—this Replica Program."

Roxas nodded. "Replica HQ, huh?"

"For the most part," 26 repeated.

Information was thumping in the back of Roxas's head, whether he wanted it to be or not. It was this information that made him ask his next question. "Do I need to make stops here petty often, then, being a Replica?"

The other Replicas did, from his understanding.

"No," 26 told him. He didn't seem so hesitant to answer this question. "You won't have to stop here much at all, seeing as you are a part of the Organization itself, and will be receiving your missions from Saix."

"Other Replica don't?" Roxas asked, though he already knew the answer.

"No," 26 said.

"Who do they receive missions from?"

Roxas knew the answer to that one, too, but he still wanted to ask.

"32—he's been doing that since before Master Vexen was ended." 26 paused a moment, letting out what sounded like a distressed breath. His shoulders slumped again. "Not that any of us are really sent on missions all that often, anyway… The most we do is upkeep around here, or stay out of the Organization's way."

_This _was news to Roxas.

_See, asking questions pays off!_

"Even before Saix took charge?" Roxas pressed.

"There's about a hundred of us, Roxas," 26 said, wearily. "There's only so much we're needed for, and more than enough of us for the job."

"Right…" Roxas didn't feel so excited to ask questions now. His eyes darted around the room again. Maybe he _would_ go after that mystery Replica. What'd they been doing here, anyway? And where'd they have to go in such a hurry? "Can I go, now?" he asked 26.

"I'm not keeping you."

"Thanks."

Roxas moved past him, and headed for the spot where he'd last seen that Replica. Maybe they were still nearby…


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

Roxas wasn't sure _how _far he'd need to go to find the mystery Replica, but he was hoping he wouldn't have to go too far. Thankfully, despite never setting foot in Castle Oblivion before now, it was like he knew the layout by heart. Must've been that information they'd programmed into him. So getting lost wasn't an issue.

_Maybe another hallway or so, and then I'll—_

His thoughts came to a halt as he turned the corner, and promptly ran into someone.

"Sorry," he said, automatically, backing out of their space. As he looked up, he broke into a grin. It was the mystery Replica! And, they were… a girl…

_ I thought Axel said there were no pretty girls around here—not that she's pretty! Or is it mean to say she's not pretty? I guess she's pretty pretty. Uh. _Roxas blinked rapidly, trying to get a hold of his thoughts. Meanwhile, the Replica—the girl—jolted about three feet in the air. She took five steps backward, and looked like she was about to form a dark corridor.

"Wait! Wait it's okay!" Roxas said, quickly. He didn't want her to leave. "I didn't mean to scare you! I'm sorry. I'm a friend."

The girl calmed a little, but not much. She rubbed her hands together nervously, and her eyes darted around—every time they fell on his face, they crinkled with distrust. "Did… did 7 send you?"

Roxas blinked. "Uh. No… Who's 7?"

The girl jolted again, and she reached beside herself to form a dark corridor. "I need to go!" she blurted.

"Why?" Roxas grabbed her by the hand. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything he just… wanted an explanation. And maybe to talk to her a little more, if it was an option. "C'mon, I just want to talk," he said. "My name's Roxas. That's a good place to start. Who are you?"

"Xion." She pulled her hand away from him, but she didn't move to leave this time. "And I… l-look, Roxas, it'd be very nice to talk to you but I shouldn't be talking to anyone, I shouldn't even be this close the Main Room, I just got curious and—"

"Why shouldn't you be near the Main Room?" Roxas asked, to interrupt her rush of words.

Xion swallowed. Her eyes darted around again. "Can… can you keep a secret, Roxas?"

Roxas couldn't help but laugh. "Why do I need to keep a secret?"

"You gotta promise, Roxas."

She sounded so serious. Roxas felt horrible when a laugh escaped his lips the second time.

"We only just met, what's with the secrets all of a sudden?" he asked. Didn't you normally spend more time getting to know people before blurting secrets at one another?

"_Roxas_!"

Xion looked like she might punch him in the face if he didn't start being serious about the matter, and guilt clawed at him. He really shouldn't be joking this much. It was obviously important—regardless of how little they knew each other.

"Okay, okay," he said. "Yeah. I promise."

Xion took a deep breath, though she didn't entirely look relieved.

"I- I should be dead."

It came out in a rush, the words bubbling from her lips so fast Roxas barely understood them. The smile on his face fell. His eyes widened in horror. Before he could stammer his confusion, Xion grabbed him by the arm and formed a dark corridor around them.

"This isn't the place to talk," she said for explanation, when the dark corridor opened again.

Roxas looked around, not bothering to shove her hands off of him. They were in a bedroom—hers, he could assume. His first instinct was to say _it's just like mine! _but further observation proved it was much different than his bedroom. There was no window, for starters, and the bed was up against a side wall, instead of jutting out parallel to where the window _would've _been. The desk was in roughly the same spot though—about right next to the window (or lack thereof). The furniture was all white, of course, and there was an impressive stack of books of varying sizes next to the bed.

_But stop worrying about the layout of the room, Roxas! Start asking what the heck is going on!_

All he could manage to say was: "I'm- I'm confused."

"Long story short, I'm a failed Replica who should've been deactivated, but 7 smuggled me out," Xion explained. She let go of him about then, moving so she was facing him. Roxas didn't even notice her hesitation before folding her arms over her chest.

"_Failed?_" he asked, gaping.

"Insufficient data," was Xion's quick reply.

"What… what does that mean?"

No information buzzed in Roxas's mind this time around, so he really did have to ask.

"I…" Xion began, then chewed her lip. Her hesitation was long enough for Roxas to notice now. "I… I don't know," she said, very slowly. "But it… it was bad enough that they wanted to deactivate me."

Roxas decided not to press her hesitation. It was very low on the list of important things to learn from this conversation.

"So… what's that secret you wanted me to keep?" he asked.

"Me," Xion said. "No one can know I exist."

Roxas suddenly wasn't quite sure if he was happy he'd run into her, now. Then again, he couldn't entirely say he wanted it to have never happened, either. He swallowed to get his mouth working.

"R-right." He licked his lips, then forced a chuckle. "Well, that's a wonderful way to start our friendship, at least!" he told her, putting on his biggest grin.

She stared. "Friendship?"

"Well I don't think I can turn away now—you already told me your darkest secret!"

She blinked a few times.

Roxas sighed.

"It's supposed to be a joke," he mumbled. "You were supposed to laugh. I'm not very good at these joke things, though…" He rubbed the back of his neck. For a flicker of a second he was confused as to why he couldn't feel a chain under his fingers, but then the feeling was gone. He wasn't too worried. 26 had told him those feelings would stop after time.

"You… you want to be friends?" Xion asked. She said nothing about his apparently terrible attempt at a joke.

Roxas grinned. "Sure! Why not?" There was something… familiar about being with her, anyway, a tug that he'd already known her for a long time, though that feeling was fleeting and gone the moment he realized it was even there. Besides, a strange sense of familiarity or no, it'd be nice to have friends. Especially some his age.

"I… I dunno…" Xion shifted a little, looking quite a bit uncomfortable.

"C'mon, it's gotta be lonely here all by yourself—that whole 'I should be dead' thing's gotta put a damper on meeting people." Here he was, trying to joke again. But he just wanted to see her smile.

"It does, yeah," she admitted. He thought he saw a crack of a smile on her face, but it was gone too quickly, if it was even there at all. "I mean, there's Joseph, I guess, but he's got other friends and we've only really talked once…" She rubbed her arms. "And there's 7, but I don't… I don't think I'd call him a _friend…_"

If 7 was anything like 26, Roxas could understand why.

He thought about saying that, before realizing that Xion probably had no idea who 26 was, and wouldn't understand. After a second, he decided to try another joke.

"I thought you were supposed to be a secret or something! How many people know about you, huh?" He laughed a little, trying to make it sound more like a joke than an accusation. Ah, it probably sounded like an accusation didn't it?

"Not… a lot…" Xion rubbed her chin a moment. "There's 7, of course, and R… Amaryllis… 29, and he told Joseph because he said it was better that Joseph knew and knew not to tell than found out and ended up blabbing. Other than that… A Zexion who's name I don't remember."

She didn't appear to understand that he'd meant it as a joke, but she didn't seem mad either. That was good.

"That's like… ten people," Roxas said, laughing a little more now.

Xion raised her eyebrows. "Out of the hundred plus here?" she replied, wryly.

"Good point."

"Hey, who are you, anyway?" Xion asked. Her arms dropped to her sides. "You gave me a name, but never anything else."

"Oh, whoops!"

Roxas told her, in more of a rush than he probably should've, how he was a Replica of Sora, and a member of the Organization, and how his job was to collect hearts, and so on. She didn't look too interested as he spoke, though her eyes lit up at the mention of a Keyblade.

"Keyblade, huh? Can I see?"

Roxas didn't see a problem with the request, so he summoned his Keyblade for her to see. Her eyes went even wider at the sight of it, and a smile played on her lips. It was a nice smile.

"Why you so interested in it?" Roxas asked her, studying her. He moved his Keyblade so it wasn't held out in front of him—where she could see it best—to his side.

Xion rubbed her hands together. "Well, I was supposed to be a Replica of Sora, so… theoretically…" She reached out with one hand, imitating the gesture he had made to an exact detail, and with a rush of wind and burst of light, a Keyblade appeared in her hand. Roxas laughed with surprise. Xion's eyes went wide, and an even wider grin broke across her face.

"Aha!" she laughed. "I can!"

"That's so cool!" Roxas banished his own Keyblade. "I don't get why they thought you needed to be deactivated though—surely Xemnas would _love _to have another Keyblade."

Xion's face darkened immediately, and she let her Keyblade vanish. "I think my data was too unstable to rely on, or… Or 7 said something like that, anyway… You can't tell, Roxas! Not Xemnas, not anyone!"

"I won't, I won't!" he assured her. "I promised, didn't I?"

"You did…" She sighed. "Hey… you mentioned something about missions? What are those like?"

"Well, I've only been on one, but…"

They chatted like that for a while. Xion had a surprising amount of questions about everything, and Roxas did his best to answer them, though there were plenty she asked he couldn't answer. Eventually Roxas figured he best get going—he wasn't sure how long it'd be before anyone got wondering where he went, but better to avoid any awkward questions later, or have someone come looking for him.

"Want me to come back tomorrow?" Roxas asked.

"Uhm…" Xion hesitated for a long moment, then shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Roxas grinned.

"See ya, then!"

"See you."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_**

Roxas visited every day on the dot, which Xion was quite grateful for. She feared she might've died of boredom two weeks sooner if not for his visits. They talked quite a bit, about everything from his missions for the day to the latest book she'd read. He'd even brought ice cream once—sea-salt, one of Axel's favorites, though Xion wasn't new to the flavor. Whenever Joseph stopped by it always seemed to be with ice cream in tow.

"It's not like it's a problem, I've got a million WINNER sticks that've piled up between forgetting to trade them in and just getting more, so I've basically got a million free ice creams," Joseph had explained, very rapidly, when she'd asked. He always spoke rapidly like that, especially when he was explaining things. Xion half wondered if he was on a constant sugar-high or something.

Joseph aside, Xion didn't get much chances to talk to anyone besides Roxas—7 or one of the other Replicas he'd told about her would check up on her once and a while, but she was lucky if she saw one every other day. 7 said he'd visit more if he wasn't trying to figure out how to fix her data on his down time, and Xion understood that rather well. She'd much prefer not dying over frequent company. Everyone else had their tasks to be about, too, so she spent most of her time reading. Every time Zeta—the Zexion—visited, it was with an armful of new books for her to read, not that he ever seemed happy about delivering them.

"I don't see why you can't do this yourself," he'd said one day. "Sure, the library in the World that Never Was isn't extensive, nor safe to raid, but there are libraries elsewhere that won't miss a few books. The one in Radi—excuse me—Hollow Bastion, for certain. There are hundreds of books in that library, and none in use. Be better than me delivering an armful of books you aren't even interested in every week…"

Xion had tried to tell him that he had brought _plenty _of books she'd liked, and just because she hadn't liked them _all _didn't mean she wasn't thankful, but he didn't seem to care about anything besides complaining.

It was the end of the week (what she defined as a week, anyway), so she'd finished all the books Zeta had brought her, and it would be another day before he'd be back with more. Xion decided to take a walk around Castle Oblivion—there were plenty of floors and halls that were only visited on occasion, so as long as she was careful…

The walk did little more than get her up and moving, but at least it was _something. _

After turning two corners, she heard voices. Normally, that'd be her signal to form a dark corridor straight back to her room, but one of the voices was… familiar. She'd never _heard _it before, actually, but something about it… tugged at her.

"Do you really think this is gonna work?" the voice asked.

"We certainly have the resources to make it work," a second voice—a Vexen's voice—replied. She wasn't sure which Vexen it was (and likely wouldn't have even if she'd seen him), but she had a feeling it wasn't 7. Or 29. Those were the only two she knew.

She paused, listening, trying to determine which direction they were coming from. She didn't have a chance to. They turned down the hall she was standing in. Her first reaction was to jump three feet in the air, the second to dart back around the corner she'd just turned. She was very grateful she'd stifled the yelp that had tried to leave her mouth.

"Who was…?" the not-Vexen asked. Riku asked. Now that she'd seen him, she knew him, though she couldn't say how. That was Riku.

Though… perhaps he was _taller _than she remembered—_Not that I remember him! I've never met him before in my life!_

"Who?" the Vexen asked. Xion pressed herself against the wall and hoped they didn't turn this corner. From what she knew was in this hallway, they shouldn't need to.

"I thought I saw…" Riku began, but he trailed off.

"I didn't see anyone," the Vexen said.

There was a long pause. Xion held her breath, hoping they'd just move on, or continue the conversation. Finally, she heard footsteps—only one set.

_Get out of there! You should move before—_

A hand closed around her arm. She jolted, and instantly scolded herself internally. She needed to get out of the habit of jumping like that, she was as bad as a startled cat! Her internal scolding was the only thing that kept her from socking Riku in the jaw.

"Who… are you…?" Riku's voice was slow, unsteady, and his tone almost accusing.

Her first reaction was anger and a glare, but then she got a good look at his face. He had to bend down so he was level with her—he was definitely taller than her "memories" said he should be—and his eyes… They looked sunken into his face, heavy bags under them. She wanted to ask if he was okay, only then she realized the Vexen had seen her, too. She needed to explain herself, first, before one of them could sound any sort of alarm.

She struggled to pull her arm away from Riku, to no avail. His fingers tightened in an iron grip the moment she moved. Sighing, she said: "I'm… Xion." Name first. She was a person before anything else. "I'm… I'm a failed Replica of Sora…"

"I can see that," Riku said. He hardly blinked.

She gaped. Her stomach flipped. She couldn't even think of anything to respond.

"I don't recall more than one Replica of Sora being made," the Vexen interrupted. He sounded confused, but not alarmed. Not worried.

"That's… that's probably because I should've been deactivated." It was a struggle to say the words, especially under Riku's gaze. It was hard to tell if he just didn't like her or if he always looked like that. "There's- there's something wrong with my data," she continued, careful not to say what. "7 thinks he can find a way to fix it, and didn't want to deactivate me, so he saved me."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Doesn't saying that get 7 in trouble?"

"If I'm found, he's in trouble already," Xion replied. "No one knows I'm here. No one _can _know." She fixed her eyes on the Vexen as she said that, looking past Riku's bulk. The words were for him—as frustrating as Riku was, she doubted he would blab, and further doubted anyone would believe him if he did. His track record with the Organization was rather… unsavory, after all.

"Understood," the Vexen assured her.

Riku said nothing. He just kept squinting at her.

"Why are you here?" Xion demanded. _Not to kill the rest of the Organization, I hope. Though, maybe it'd solve a lot of trouble…_

Riku made a noise that she couldn't tell whether it was a growl or just him clearing his throat. "Looking for a friend—for Sora, actually."

"And being here helps?"

"They have the resources…"

Xion considered him a long moment. Considered his tired eyes, the catch in his voice, the hesitant shrug. She could feel his grip lessen on her arm, and could see his eyes dart to the walls around them with unease.

"You don't want to be here," she said. It wasn't a question.

He let go of her arm, and she yanked it away the moment it was free.

"That's none of your business."

The hesitance had become hostility surprisingly fast.

Xion caught herself moving to rub her arm, and quickly turned the motion into that of dusting herself off. He didn't need to know that he'd hurt her. He didn't need that satisfaction.

"And I'm none of yours," she replied, making sure her tone was just as hostile as the one he'd regarded her with.

Riku grunted, and started walking. The Vexen looked between the two of them, and after a second sent a reassuring smile at Xion. "I won't breathe a word of this," he said, and started after Riku.

"Wait." Xion stopped him. "What number are you?"

"19." The Vexen smiled again, and then he was really off.

Xion clutched her arm now, swallowing around a dry throat. Riku hadn't hurt her _that _badly, she could just still feel his fingers pressed against her skin. She watched him and 19 leave, eyes narrowing.

_Looking for Sora, he said, but is that all it is? _she wondered. _I didn't think he cared much about Sora. And why was 19 so friendly with him, anyway? He- he killed Master Vexen, and put Saix in charge, and if Saix wasn't in charge…_

If Saix wasn't in charge, there would be no reason for her to be in hiding, no threat of annihilation if she was found out. Everyone but Joseph had told her that at least once.

_Standing here glaring at his back isn't going to change anything, though…_

She let out a long breath.

_Back to my room, then, I guess. What I wouldn't give to follow him, though, and give him a piece of my mind… _

**xxx**

Xion was a little surprised to see Roxas sitting in her desk chair when she returned to her room. He grinned at her, and she smiled back, moving to sit down on her bed.

"Where were you, huh?" Roxas asked.

"Walking," she replied.

Roxas raised his eyebrows.

"That safe?"

"Around this floor, yeah." Xion nodded unconsciously. "I, uh, I did run into someone, though."

Roxas sat up straight. "Is that bad?"

"No, no," Xion told him, quickly. "Well… They promised they wouldn't tell, but… Riku…"

"_Riku_?"

"Yeah. Riku. Here of all places."

Roxas grimaced, then. "Who's Riku?"

Xion rolled her eyes. Roxas never bothered thinking about this sort of thing before asking questions. If he'd take the time to think, he'd _know _the answers to all the questions he asked. If _she _knew them, they couldn't be _that _hard to figure out. "Think for a sec," she told him, sighing and shifting. She grabbed her pillow and threw it up against the wall behind her, so she could comfortably lean back.

"Ahh…" Roxas let out a long sigh through his mouth. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, not on her. "Riku's a friend of Sora's. He… killed half the Organization in a week or so. Oh. He's classified as an enemy." His mouth turned down in a frown. "Did he say why he was here? Did you talk to him long enough for that?"

"Yeah. He said he was looking for Sora." She folded her arms across her chest, scowling. "And I still don't see why he's doing it _here! _What resources can this Castle apparently have that can help him? _Here_! Of all places."

It was only after a second of thinking back that she realized must've repeated herself at least once. At least.

Roxas didn't seem to notice.

"Since when was Sora missing?" he asked.

Xion shrugged.

"What _I'd _like to know is why that Vexen—" He'd told her his number, but she couldn't remember it. "—was being so friendly with him! I mean, Riku's an _enemy _and he…"

_He shouldn't be here, of all places, _was how she wanted to finish that, but she caught her near-repeat this time, and bit her lip to stop it.

"I don't see what we can do about it," Roxas said. He leaned back in the chair, tipping it onto its back legs for a moment. Like he wasn't even worried. The sight of it ticked Xion off, but she said nothing about it, nor Roxas's apparent lack of caring.

Honestly, she was quite afraid if she opened her mouth she'd repeat the words _Riku shouldn't be here, of all places, _another time. Maybe it was a silly thing to be afraid of. That didn't mean she opened her mouth.

Roxas sent her a long look, then plopped the chair back on the ground. "You want ice cream or something?" he asked. "Or… something else to cheer you up? I can't think of anything besides ice cream."

Xion thought about it for a long moment, largely just because it was amazingly hard to get her mind away from Riku. Riku, and how he shouldn't be _here. _She bit her lip in frustration, and then it occurred to her.

"How about… a favor?" she asked Roxas.

"Yeah?"

"Can I… Can I go on missions with you?"

Roxas stared at her. And he kept staring. Like she'd fried his brain with the question or something.

_If there's anyone with a fried brain, it's me, _she thought, bitterly. That thought stopped being bitter and became significantly more worried once it settled in. _Oh no, this isn't what that "insufficient data" thing is going to come down to, is it? I don't think I could stand endlessly repeating myself._

Roxas cleared his throat. "Uh, look, Xion… I'd love to, but I don't get a lot of solo missions—even when I'm not on one with an Organization member, I've usually got at least one Replica with me. Marluxias make surprisingly good fighting partners…"

Xion's face fell. Of course. If other people went on his missions with him, she couldn't go with. She supposed if he happened to go on a mission with one of the five people who knew she existed, _then _she could go, but the changes of him going on missions with any of them seemed highly unlikely.

"Well, next time I get a solo one—" Roxas began, quickly, eager to please.

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "That's okay, Roxas. Thank you."

"I mean it, though! Next time I get a solo mission, you can come with me. Maybe I could request for one…."

Xion took a deep breath, trying not to sigh with disappointment or anything. Roxas had done all he could, really, and it wasn't his fault.

"Hey!" Roxas leapt out of the chair with his sudden excitement. He beamed at her, fists clenched together with a passion. "I got an idea! Just because I can't take you on missions doesn't mean we can't hang out in other worlds—what's a little change of scenery, huh? It's not like it'll take any extra time out of my day or anything, and I'm sure Castle Oblivion gets pretty boring without a change of pace!"

Xion nodded, slowly.

"Well? What do you say?"

"Alright…"

Roxas beamed wider, if that were even possible.

"Got any particular in mind?"

"Zeta… Zeta mentioned a library in Hollow Bastion."

Roxas grimaced, though the gleam hadn't left his eyes. "I… I don't think I know where—wait a sec! Yeah I do!" And just like that, he was grinning again, coming to pull her to her feet. "Don't just sit there, let's go!"

All sourness and worries left Xion's mind when Roxas grabbed her hands, and she let him drag her away.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_**

Roxas headed straight to C.O.—Castle Oblivion—right after receiving his missions, unable to keep the grin off his face. By a stroke of luck, they were all solo missions today. He couldn't wait to tell Xion.

He wasn't sure why he ended up in C.O.'s Main Room instead of closer to Xion's room, though he supposed excitement and lack of focus explained it. He supposed he was somewhat glad he did, though, in a way. He arrived not ten feet from 26 and 29, and they were… arguing.

"I haven't seen _anything _out of the ordinary," 29 said, quite loudly, and in a tone that suggested he was repeating himself and getting very tired of doing so. "I've been too busy watching Joseph because that's my _job, _and in case you weren't aware, it is a job that generally keeps my hands tied."

26 said nothing, though he didn't look happy.

"Speaking of seeing things, though," 29 added, lowering his voice to normal. "Have you noticed anything… odd about the amount of Experiments wandering around? Odd as in… there don't seem to be as many as normal?"

26 shook his head. "That's not my business, 29."

29 huffed. "Fine. Then I'll go ask someone who's business it _is._" And with that, he stalked off.

26 looked about ready to stalk off, too, but then he spotted Roxas.

"Ah, Roxas, can you come here a moment?"

Roxas grimaced, but he couldn't exactly say no. His only excuse was _I've got missions to do, _and that would be met with _if you have missions, then why are you lurking about C.O.? _He sighed.

"Have you seen anything strange?" 26 asked, as Roxas neared. "Any_one_ strange?"

"No," Roxas said. It surprised him how easily the lie came, and how easily he was able to mask the concern from his face. Was 26 asking about Xion? How would he know about her?

26 narrowed his eyes. "You know…" he said, very slowly, giving Roxas a sideways look. "It is your duty as a member of the Organization to report anything out of the unusual to a higher up."

"I thought my duty was to collect hearts," Roxas said, without hesitation. He fought to keep his face straight—though now he was only threatening to smirk.

26 grunted. "On top of that."

Roxas shook his head. "Well, I haven't seen anything." He started to walk away, but then paused and reconsidered. "I _have_ heard rumors that Riku's been seen in this Castle, though, if that's worth anything."

"Riku?" 26 laughed. "I'm pretty sure someone would've noticed if he's been lurking around in one of the Organization's Headquarters by now."

"Alright. Don't believe me, then." Roxas couldn't care enough about the matter—about Riku—to press it. Besides, he'd wasted more than enough time talking to 26. He needed to go get Xion! He didn't wait for 26 to start off, he just headed for Xion right away, all but running.

"Hey! What's got you so worked up?" Xion asked, laughing, when he burst into her room, panting for air. After the initial laughter, her face darkened with concern. "Don't you have missions?"

"That's just it! I have a couple solo missions today!" He gasped as he spoke, but he was grinning. First, at the news, and then at the grin that spread on Xion's face as she processed the news. He'd never seen her look happier.

"What are we waiting for?" Xion declared. She jumped to her feet. "Let's go!"

**xxx**

Three days later he had more good news: More solo missions! He stopped at C.O. to tell Xion right away, this time using a dark corridor to get as close as to her room as was polite so he wouldn't waste any time.

"Saix mentioned there might be more solo missions in the future, too!" Roxas added, once he was done telling her that there were missions to do today.

"Really?" Xion looked surprised, but not unhappy.

Roxas nodded. "Apparently there have been a lot of Replicas that've gone M.I.A., so they don't have a lot of people to send with me. Not to mention I apparently do really well 'on my own'—I think us near doubling the quota last time really helped."

Xion laughed at that. "Should we be worried about the M.I.A. Replicas, though?"

"I dunno. No one's told me to be worried. I think some of the other Organization members have been sent to hunt them down, but no one expects me to do anything. My only job is to collect hearts."

"Just because no one's told you to be worried doesn't mean you shouldn't be," Xion said. She gave him a look that he was sad to read as disapproving. He started to say something to clear it up, only he didn't have a chance. Xion was talking again. "There's a lot of… well, I wouldn't call it _trouble, _but something's going on here in Castle Oblivion," she said. "I don't know much about it, but Amaryllis has come to me twice now saying how it might be safe for me to come out of my room more often. I've never had a chance to ask him _why, _though. A Zexion Replica called Alpha seems to need him immediately after he walks in my door."

"Heard anything more about Riku?" Roxas asked.

Xion shook her head. "And thank goodness for that. I don't think I could stand it. He's a jerkhole."

"Jerkhole?"

The look Xion gave him told him not to ask further.

"You only met him once, though," Roxas said. "I wouldn't be so quick to—"

"You've _never met him,_" Xion countered. An anger blazed in her eyes. "He was _rude, _and he _shouldn't be here._"

Roxas frowned at Xion. He didn't understand why she was being like this. "Don't you have some of Sora's memories of him, though? I do. He's not _all _bad…"

"Are you sure you have the same memories?" Xion crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up.

"What?"

"Look, never mind. Don't we have missions to get to?"

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, we do."

This mission went like the last one did—well, and it was done in half the time, so they spent plenty of time sight-seeing and killing Heartless when they happened to show up. The quota wasn't just doubled, it was surpassed. They talked plenty, too, though not about Riku. They talked about Joseph, or about something stupid Roxas had seen Demyx do, or that Axel had said.

Missions generally went like that, every time they went together. Roxas didn't have a solo mission every day, but he did start getting more of them, just like Saix had said he would. He was very happy to be spending the time with Xion, even if it was time spent killing Heartless. The only person he enjoyed going on missions on nearly as much was Axel, who's attitude towards him had mellowed considerably. They were even something of friends, now.

As for Xion, she was happy to be up and about more. Of course, she was happy the time was spent with Roxas, too, but merely being out and moving and fighting and just doing _something _was better than sitting in her room all day. Days when Roxas had solo mission were the happiest days of her life.

She could almost forget she was doomed to die.

**xxx**

To both Xion and Roxas's surprise, 7 was waiting for them one day, in Xion's room, when they were done with missions. He was very concerned about where they'd been, though was quite happy to see Xion had befriended someone, and conceded that being up and about wasn't a _bad _thing for Xion. He did tell her at least twice that she shouldn't push herself too far, though.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Xion asked him.

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," Roxas added.

"No, not too long," 7 assured them. "And I'm here because I—hopefully—have good news. I may have figured out a way to fix your data, Xion!"

"Fix it?" Roxas sent a confused look at 7. "What's wrong with it?" Had Xion mentioned? He didn't think she had…

"She was scheduled to be deactivated because her data was deemed insufficient to run," 7 said. His eyes darted to Xion, before he went back to considering Roxas. "Surely she told you?"

Roxas started to shake his head, and then paused. "She mentioned the thing about insufficient data… But she never mentioned what it meant."

"Sorry," Xion mumbled, looking down at her toes. "Didn't want to worry you."

7 looked between the two of them, lips tight. He looked as if holding back an emotion he did not want to express, or an opinion he did not wish to voice. He cleared his throat, finally. "Well, to put it bluntly—and I do hate to put it like this—insufficient data means she's… lucky to even be standing here. That she shouldn't have enough data to run."

"It means I should be dead."

Xion's voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear it. Roxas stared, and opened his mouth to protest—though what he would protest he wasn't sure—but then 7 cleared his throat.

"Perhaps there isn't reason to worry anymore," he said. "Like I said, I think I can fix the problem. Supplemental data was what got Roxas's data to a sufficient state, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for you, Xion. _Getting_ the supplemental data proved to be the biggest challenge, but…"

"Let's try it out, then," Xion said. The smile on her face seemed uneasy.

In a short time they were in what 7 called his office, which also functioned as a small infirmary. The left wall was taken up by a cot, a desk and computer sitting against the back wall next to it. The right wall was completely occupied with a bookcase, with a second desk and computer—7's personal computer—against the front wall. He assured them that they wouldn't be disturbed, between the distinct _keep out _sign on his door and the fact he'd corridor-proofed the room.

"Is this going to… change me?" Xion asked, situating herself on the cot. She kept rubbing at her arms.

"Change you?" 7 looked surprised at the question. He laughed. "Like your basic personality or memories or anything like that?"

Xion nodded, affirming that, yes, that was what she was worried about.

"It shouldn't, no," 7 assured her. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, and I know a simple edit like this one won't change any of your important data. It shouldn't _change _any of your data at all, it'll just add to it. Now lie down and close your eyes—this will only take a moment."

Xion did as told. Roxas pulled a swivel chair over from the desk of 7's personal computer and situated it before the door. That way, he could keep an eye on both Xion and 7. 7 stood at the computer by the cot, entering commands. Xion lay there peacefully, as if asleep. Roxas crossed his arms over the back of the chair and rested his chin on them. In a second he'd ask 7 what he was going to—

Wait a minute. It didn't look like Xion was breathing.

Roxas must've made a noise or jolted or something, because 7 sent an amused, though kind, look at him.

"Don't worry," he said. "I've only turned her data off so I can edit it. She'll wake up the moment I'm done."

"Oh," Roxas said. He slowly relaxed back into the chair, resting his chin on his arms again.

"Technically, the _proper _term for what I did is Disable her, though I don't like using that term. Reminds me too much of _Deactivate._" 7 had turned back to the computer, but that clearly wasn't meant to stop the conversation.

"What's the difference?" Roxas asked.

"Disabling is temporary, Deactivation is not. If she were Deactivated, she'd never wake up at all," 7 explained. He sighed deeply.

"And they wanted to Deactivate her…" Roxas said, very slowly, eyeing 7.

7 nodded. "It's the kind way of killing a Replica."

Roxas swallowed.

"What- what did you say you were going to do? To her data?" He wanted to get the subject onto something new, and well away from _Deactivation. _

"Fill in the gaps with some supplemental data, so she'll no longer have an insufficient amount to run on," 7 replied. Roxas realized 7'd basically said that earlier, and felt a little dumb now for asking. If he'd just listened the first time… 7 didn't notice he was repeating himself, though, or if he did, he didn't mention it.

"Where'd you get the supplemental data from, anyway?" Roxas asked.

"Sora's friend, Kairi. It seemed like best choice, the best data to mesh with the data Xion already has."

Roxas shifted in his chair. "Could you have used any sort of data?"

"Well…" 7 paused. His eyes darted over to Xion. "Yes…. But I wouldn't be so comfortable promising that no changes would be made to her personality. Kairi's data is one thing, seeing as Xion already resembles her quite a bit. Vexen data, however, or Larxene…."

"…right."

Roxas didn't have any more questions to ask after that, so he stayed silent. He sat there for a long time, watching Xion more than he watched 7 type and click and drag. 7's movement was interesting, but not interesting enough. Mostly, Roxas's mind drifted to Xion, to her Keyblade, to why it was such a bad thing she existed. Xemnas wanted Kingdom Hearts. Killing Heartless and collecting their hearts was the only way to make it. Collecting hearts required a Keyblade.

Maybe they'd tell Xemnas once they were done here, once Xion was stable enough to run properly—whatever that meant. He hadn't thought that she was anything wrong with how she was running, she'd _seemed _fine. But he supposed he should trust—

7 went rigid very abruptly. The computer made a faint dinging noise. 7 said nothing, he just stared, slowly reaching behind him for the chair which Roxas was sitting in. Realizing it wasn't where he needed it, 7 grunted and grabbed the other chair and pulled it to where he was.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked, sitting up straighter.

"I…" 7 peered intently at the screen. "It says it's… incompatible…"

"Incompatible?"

7 nodded, slowly, not quite looking like he believed it. "The supplemental data. It's incompatible."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

Roxas frowned and shook his head. The supplemental data was incompatible? But if it was incompatible, then it couldn't fix Xion!

"That can't be right!" he said. "You said—"

"I know what I said, but…" 7 gestured at the screen, not that Roxas could see anything more than an error message he couldn't read. Roxas growled a little, fists clenched and pressed against the back of the chair he was in.

"Can you fix it!?"

He couldn't say why he was so angry, he just knew he was. Was it the sight of the error message? The sight of Xion, lying there, now looking more dead than asleep? She'd wake up, of course, but… There was something wrong with her. There was something wrong with her, and she'd never told him, he never knew until now, and now they couldn't fix it.

He couldn't fix it.

"Incompatible data is incompatible data, Roxas," 7 said. "I'm sorry. I can try some other data I have, though it's going to have less promising possibili—"

"Just do it!"

If 7 was upset to be yelled at, he didn't show it. He simply turned his attention back to the computer, clicking and typing some more. Roxas watched like a hawk, all his muscles tense. He felt like a wire ready to snap. Before long, another error message was popping up. 7 said nothing about it, so Roxas didn't either, but three error messages later, 7 sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, pushing the chair away from his desk and facing Roxas. "Her data isn't compatible with anything I've tried. I don't understand why, not in the slightest, but I'll look into it. The supplemental data _will _work, I only—"

"It won't work if it's incompatible!" Roxas shouted, pounding his fists against the back of the chair. He bit his lip once he'd shouted, regretting it. The shouting, anyway. He couldn't say he regretted the words.

7 stared at him a long moment, with a patient—though tired—expression. He waited, as if for another outburst, and then once sure another wasn't coming, continued: "I only need to make her data recognize it," he finished, very slowly.

Roxas bit his tongue, now, and forced his fingers to unclench. He said nothing. He didn't trust himself to.

"I'm going to wake her up now," 7 said. "I advise you hold your tongue and your temper—there's no reason to upset her more than the news already will." He regarded Roxas with a very stern look that almost made Roxas feel like a child scolded. "Can you do that, Roxas? For Xion?"

Roxas nodded.

"Alright." 7 turned back to the computer. A few keystrokes later, Xion's eyes fluttered open.

Xion was told, in short order, what had happened. She took the news better than Roxas had, though, of course, she was still frustrated. Frustrated that it hadn't worked, but that was all. Not really devastated, or even the slightest bit disappointed. Roxas couldn't say why—he wasn't in her head—but he doubted the lack of worry came from unshakable faith in 7 or anything.

Xion thanked 7 for his help, and 7 assured them both that he would look into it, he _would _figure out what had went wrong. Roxas decided he needed ice cream to cheer himself up, so Twilight Town was where he and Xion headed next.

Munny wasn't an issue, of course—Heartless dropped an astounding amount upon death, and there was really nothing to spend it on. Potions and stuff from the Moogle, of course, but that was really it. Besides, he got plenty of Potions from treasure chests and as mission rewards, and he had a feeling when he _did _buy from the Moogle he got heavy discounts.

"It'll be alright," Xion told him, once they were up on a perch on the clock tower—a spot Axel had showed him. Her voice was quiet, and she stared at her ice cream, clutched in both hands, not at him.

He swallowed.

"Yeah. 7 knows what he's doing."

He couldn't yell at her. Couldn't grab her by the shoulders and scream _how is it going to be alright if you're going to die!? _She deserved better than that, and he'd promised 7 he wouldn't freak out on her. It would only upset her more. She must be upset enough as it was, having the whole _death _thing hovering over her head all this time.

_I just wish she'd told me…_

**xxx**

The next day was a little better, at least. Roxas received news he'd have missions with Axel. After a bit of contemplation, he figured it'd be okay, so he told Axel that they had to stop by C.O. first. Axel'd been a little confused, but good natured about it.

"What for? This some new Replica thing?" he asked.

"Nah." Roxas laughed. "I gotta meet someone."

Axel raised his eyebrows, but didn't ask. He was asking, though, when they got to Xion. He and Xion, in near unison, and in the near same inflection asked:

"Who's _this?_"

Though, perhaps saying _same _inflection was incorrect—Xion definitely sounded more angry than Axel did.

"This is Axel," Roxas said. Impulsively he reached out to grab Xion's arm, to soothe her. She didn't protest, but she gave him a tight lipped glare. "It's alright, Xion, I promise. He's a friend."

"If you say so," Xion grumbled.

"And who's Miss Rude here?" Axel asked.

It was a good thing Roxas was used to Axel giving comments like this. "Xion. She's… A secret Replica that no one can know about."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "Right."

_Right. _That was it. Nothing more. Xion pulled her arm away from Roxas. She didn't seem any happier. Roxas sighed, chewing his lip nervously. After a second Axel laughed.

"Well, at least now I know who you're thinking about when you fumble on missions," he said.

Roxas flushed a furious red. That wasn't true! It brought a smile to Xion's lips, though, and he supposed that was alright. He forced a mock offended look on his face—that wasn't hard—and took a swing at Axel.

"_Hey!_"

Axel dodged the swing easily and laughed harder. Xion even giggled a little.

"I guess I won't tell," Axel said. "Not really my business to, at any rate." He looked like he wanted to say more, for a moment, but then closed his mouth, as if thinking better of it. That surprised Roxas a little, but he supposed he was glad.

"We have missions today," Roxas told Xion. "I figured it'd be okay if you came with us—well, as long as Axel doesn't _mind._" He realized he hadn't even asked Axel in his excitement. To his relief Axel agreed.

"You already went through the trouble of introducing me to her," he said.

Missions took them to Twilight Town—it was just a regular old Heart Collection mission. Xion had her Keyblade summoned the moment she stepped out of the corridor, and Roxas was quick to summon his.

"Bet I can kill more heartless than you!" he called, taking off at a run.

"Don't forget who won last time!" was Xion's reply.

He couldn't tell if Axel said anything—he was too far away—but he thought he heard Axel _grumble _at the very least.

With their combined efforts, quota was met in record time. Roxas was pretty sure he'd killed more Heartless, but Axel and Xion both swore that _she _had, so he relented. He'd write this victory in his journal when he got back to HQ, though, just to be sure he never forgot it.

"So… let me get this straight," Axel said, as they headed for the ice cream shop. "No one knows about you?" He looked at Xion, having to turn around and take a few steps backwards to do so.

Xion shook her head. Then she grimaced. Her hands were clutched to her chest. "Well, I mean, a few people do…."

"But no one in the Organization?"

"No."

Axel nodded and turned back around so he could walk normally. Roxas sent a reassuring smile over at Xion. She didn't see it. His grip tightened on his Keyblade—he'd banish it once they got closer to the shops, but for now, it could be like a magnet to draw more Heartless to them. Quota or no, it was good to fight.

"Not Xemnas?" Axel added, sending this look over his shoulder.

Xion shook her head again. "_No._"

"Why not? I mean, you have a Keyblade, and last I checked he was—"

"_No._" Xion repeated, firmer this time.

Axel's eyes narrowed, and he slowed his pace so he could study her. Xion returned his inquisitive gaze with a firm glare—soon Axel turned away. Roxas banished his Keyblade, seeing as they were nearing the ice cream shop, plus he needed that hand to pull munny out of his pocket.

"Here," he said, handing Xion a fistful of munny. "It's your turn to talk to the lady."

"Better have given me the right amount this time," Xion grumbled. "I don't want to look like a cheapskate again." She still went up to the counter though, and managed a smile for the ice cream lady. That's all Roxas saw before pulling Axel aside.

"Look, Axel, about Xion—" he began.

"She is getting sea-salt, isn't she?" Axel asked, before he could get anywhere close to finishing.

"What? Yes." Roxas scrunched up his face, then shook his head. "But, more importantly, about Xion. About the Keyblade." Axel was still watching Xion worriedly, apparently more interested in what ice cream flavor he was getting. "About _Xemnas,_" Roxas tried, instead.

That brought Axel's attention to him. It was a huffy sort, though. "Yeah? What about him? What about her?" He nodded his head over at Xion.

"I was thinking exactly what you were thinking," Roxas said. "That if she has a Keyblade… y'know…" He didn't want to say all of it, not here, and was glad Axel followed what he meant. "But 7 said there was—"

"FORMATION 26B GO!"

Roxas paused at the sound of the shrill cry, and turned to find its source. He realized a second too late that the voice belonged to Joseph. Axel only had enough time to groan before the boy had tackled him, nearly making him bend over backwards with how Joseph was hanging off of him.

"Go, Xion! Before he sees you!" Joseph shouted.

"What?"

Roxas turned to Xion, and wasn't exactly surprised to see Raymond and Patrick there by her. Raymond was shoving her from behind, and Patrick had her by the hand—they managed to move her about two steps before she realized what was going on and she dug her heels in. Patrick stopped tugging immediately, folding his arms over his chest and saying something or other in that haughty voice of his that Roxas really couldn't hear. Not over Joseph and Axel yelling, anyway.

"I DEFINITELY HAVE A ONE HUNDRED PRECENT LEGIT REASON FOR DOING THIS AXEL I PROMISE!"

"KID LET GO OF ME YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK MY BACK!"

"Look, Joseph, it's alright," Roxas said. He spared a glance at Xion, before deciding she was handling herself well enough and Axel probably needed the help more. "Axel knows, I told him, he won't—"

"GET YOUR FINGERS OUT OF MY NOSE!"

"SORRY! I'LL LET GO IN A SEC I PROMISE!"

"_Both of you!_" Roxas shouted. He moved to pull Joseph off of Axel, hooking his hands under the boy's armpits. "Listen, Joseph, it's fine, Axel promised he—"

"Ow!" Joseph let go abruptly, knocking both him and Roxas to the ground. Roxas was about to complain and push the kid up when he realized that Joseph was clutching his wrist, and between the boy's fingers he could see blistered red skin.

"_Axel!_" Roxas shouted.

Axel cringed. "Sorry. Shi— Sorry." He brushed himself off, not looking at Joseph. "That was reflex more than anything else. Oh well." He flashed an uneasy grin at them. "Nothing that fancy repair program of yours can't fix, right?"

"That's not the point!" Roxas snapped.

"No, no, I'm fine," Joseph mumbled. He pushed himself to his feet. "It's fine. It's not that bad, it's just—"

"I really am sorry, kid," Axel said. The grimace on his face looked like he really did mean it, too.

"It's fine," Joseph said again, though he wouldn't stop clutching at it.

Roxas grunted and sent up a Cure—his last—for Joseph. There was no telling how much that would fix, but it was better than nothing. Before Joseph could say anything, or Axel could apologize again, or Roxas could keep berating him—accident or no, that still wasn't cool—Patrick and Raymond came over. Raymond was slumped entirely, and Patrick looked like he was very angry and trying not to show it.

"Mission failed, Commander!" Raymond groaned. "Our bad."

"She was more stubborn than we expected her to be," Patrick added, with a pointed glare at Xion, who was coming up behind him and dusting herself off. He turned up his nose. "Well, I'll go talk to the ice cream lady."

"Hey, Joseph Commander Sir Dude, you okay?" Raymond asked.

"Uh-huh!" Joseph stopped clutching his wrist—Roxas thought it looked a little better—though he did move to hide it from Raymond's immediate line of sight. "Everything's fine. And don't worry so much about the mission! Turns out Axel's a friend! C'mon." He and Raymond went over to join Patrick in explaining things to the ice cream lady.

"I hope Joseph's friends can keep their mouths shut as well as he can," Xion grumbled.

"I hope so too, they seem like a worse hole in your secrecy than me," Axel agreed, watching them with a grimace. He kept rubbing his fingers together, too.

Roxas licked his lips. He knew Joseph and his friends, but not well enough to say whether or not they were a threat to Xion's safety. Oh well. There was nothing he could do about it. And there was nothing more to say to Axel, either.

The boys cleared it up surprisingly well with the ice cream lady. Joseph's quick words and Patrick's well placed lies calmed her down, not that she seemed very upset. They assured her that everyone here was all friends, and it was just a silly game more than anything else. Raymond added that it was their mistake for not giving at least _one _of them—Roxas thought the boy may have looked at him when he said it—a heads up before going through with it.

"We're all good!" Joseph told Roxas and Axel and Xion, around a stick of sea-salt ice cream. He gave them two thumbs up.

"Can we go now?" Raymond asked. He didn't have an ice cream. "My head's starting to hurt…"

Joseph sent a look that Roxas first took as a grimace over at Raymond. "Yeah, okay!" he said. It was only after he spoke that Roxas realized the look had been worry, not anger or distaste.

The three boys headed off, hopefully to somewhere with a Repair Program. Roxas forgot until it was too late to remind Joseph about that. Axel ordered three sea-salts from the lady, and then he, Roxas and Xion set about finding a good place to enjoy them.

All in all, Roxas supposed, it hadn't been a bad day.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_**

A meeting. They'd been called to a meeting, in the Round Room. This wasn't the first meeting Roxas had been to, of course. And, as usual, none of them—except Xemnas, and probably Xigbar—knew why they were there before the meeting started. Also, per usual, gossip was more than expected beforehand, while they waited for Xemnas to arrive and the meeting to actually start.

"I can't be the only one who's heard rumors about Riku in Castle Oblivion, can I?" Luxord asked, shuffling a deck of cards. He was always shuffling a deck of cards. This time, though, after shuffling, he started laying them out before him in what looked like a game of solitaire. How they floated in mid-air like that, like they were on an invisible table, was a mystery to Roxas.

"You aren't the only one," Xaldin assured him. "Though, I suppose it's Saix whom we should be asking."

"I've heard the rumors," Saix said, and no more. He was sitting like he always was, legs crossed, hands clenched in his lap. He always looked like he was on the verge of yelling at someone, if not launching himself out of his chair and attacking.

"Well, shouldn't you do something about them?" Demyx asked. He was slouching in his chair, leaning in it in a way that Roxas had never even considered comfortable, half lying down like that. "I mean, you have all those Replicas at your command to check things out, don't you?"

"Not to mention the security cameras," Axel called. He sounded rather haughty, especially with his arms across his chest like that. His seat was, and always had been, directly across from Saix's.

Saix looked even more like he wanted to strangle something now. "I've told them to look, but reports on the matter have been… inconclusive."

"Inconclusive?" Xigbar laughed. It was the first time he'd spoken up—he rarely participated in the pre-meeting gossip, just watched. Observed. Always, with that sly smirk plastered on his face, as if he was hearing more than just the gossip.

"Yes." Saix seemed reluctant to admit it.

"Which brings us to our next point," Xemnas called, his voice resounding through the room. Roxas hadn't seen him arrive, but everyone—including himself—turned to look at him. Demyx even sat up a little straighter. Xemnas's attention was on Saix. He gestured for him to continue.

Saix seemed to hesitate a moment, then he said: "Reports have also said that many Replicas are… unaccounted for."

Roxas was a little surprised that this was what the meeting was about. He already knew about the M.I.A Replicas—Saix had mentioned it a time or two, though only in passing. Surely everyone else must've known, too… Though, apparently not. Perhaps Saix had only told him because he'd asked about solo missions.

"And you're only just bringing it up now," Xaldin said. He'd always given off a judgmental vibe, and it was twice as apparent in moments like this. Clearly, though, no one else had been told about the M.I.A Replicas.

"When it was only two or so, I found no reason to be worried," Saix explained, very slowly. "But I have ten now who each have not reported in for a week."

"Only ten?" Xigbar asked. "I thought it was more than that."

Saix seemed to hesitate again. "Alright, it's been closer to fifteen who haven't reported in. Only ten of those have been missing for a full week, though." He cleared his throat, drawing the authority back to him. "All Replicas are restricted to the World That Never Was, and Castle Oblivion. If you see any out in the worlds, apprehend them. If you cannot bring them back, kill them."

Roxas jolted. "That seems harsh!" he protested.

"The punishment for treason to the Organization has always been death," Saix replied, calmly, fixing an icy stare on Roxas. "Besides, it's not like we cannot just replace them."

Roxas's stomach roiled with anger. "And what if I left?" he demanded. Axel seemed to be making a gesture telling him to be quiet, but he ignored it. "Would you kill me, too? I'm a Replica!"

"You, Roxas, are a special case," Xemnas said. "It took too much effort to build you the first time, so I would hope we would not have to resort to killing you." Roxas's stomach roiled again, but this time he felt more sick than angry. He didn't like the look Xemnas regarded him with. He didn't like the tone with which Xemnas spoke to him.

"We'd drag you back kicking and screaming, if we had to!" Xigbar added, with another laugh and a shark-like grin. "Rewriting is an option, after all. Good thing you aren't planning on leaving, huh, kiddo?"

Roxas jolted again, a little surprised at being spoken to like this. He knew Saix often treated the Replicas like property, but he hadn't realized that apparently extended to the rest of the Organization. And the threat of being Rewritten—_after they threatened to drag me back kicking and screaming!—_didn't sit too well either.

"Can't you just Deactivate the missing Replicas?" Luxord asked. The game of solitaire had vanished. He'd likely gotten rid of it once Xemnas had shown up.

"Do you want to search the worlds for their bodies?" Saix replied.

Luxord didn't answer, but Saix's point had been made.

"You all understand your orders, then?" Xemnas said. Agreement rifled throughout the room.

"The 'apprehend all Replicas' thing doesn't apply to Roxas, right?" Demyx asked.

Roxas didn't see Saix roll his eyes, but he could well enough hear it in Saix's tone. "No, Roxas has permission to travel the worlds as his missions need him to."

"Just checking."

Roxas swore he heard Xigbar laugh, but it was hard to tell with all the different dark corridors forming at once. He formed one around himself only after a second of waiting. Not that he was sure why he considered staying longer—there was nothing to do in this room, once meetings were finished, and no good reason to stay unless he wished to talk to Xemnas about something.

**xxx**

Xion was sitting in a corner of the Main Room of Castle Oblivion, which was a change of pace she wasn't quite sure she enjoyed. Amaryllis had assured her—insisted, really—that it was absolutely safe. And, honestly, no one appeared to even glance her direction, she just _felt _like there were eyes watching her from every side.

But, in some ways, she was grateful to be out here. Riku was out here. The sight of him brought a foul taste to her mouth, but him being out here meant she could spy on him. Not that he was doing anything… _interesting. _He was just sitting at one of the couches. Staring at a piece of paper.

Xion drummed her fingers against her arm. She shouldn't be annoyed that he wasn't doing anything to make her more upset at him, really. That was just dumb. She should be glad, if anything. And, perhaps, she should head back to her room now. Especially considering the Larxene that was walking by—she always had to be more cautious concerning them.

Before she could get up to leave or form a dark corridor, she noticed Riku shifting. He'd turned towards the Larxene. Xion frowned. That can't have been… _fear _etched on his face. She wasn't sure why, but the thought of Riku being scared of _anything _seemed absurd.

"What are you staring at?" the Larxene demanded, after realizing that Riku was staring at her. She only sounded mildly annoyed, but the way Riku reacted, she might as well have said it with malice.

"Wh- what are you _d-doing _here?" he gasped. He honestly looked like he might faint.

The Larxene stared. "Well, it _is _Replica HQ," she said.

Riku made a sound quite similar to a strangled cat. If he'd looked like he was about to faint before, he definitely looked like he was going to now.

"I could ask you the same, anyway," the Larxene continued. "Aren't you some enemy of the Organization or whatever?" Xion couldn't say she disagreed there—the Larxene was right. Riku _was _an enemy to the Organization, and he shouldn't be here.

Riku didn't answer, and after only a second or so of waiting for him to, the Larxene reached forward and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey! Are you listening to me?"

His response was to stagger to his feet and shove her arm away. "Stay away from me!" he shouted. Stumbling more than running, he started off. Xion jumped to her feet, more than prepared to follow him. What was with him acting like that? And why _was _he here? She knew it was to search for Sora, as he'd said, but why did he really think _here _was a good place to do that?

"I could say the same to you, freak," the Larxene muttered. "Huh? What's this?" She bent down to pick something up—the paper Riku'd been holding, Xion realized, with a clutch in her chest.

The Larxene turned the paper over in her hands, considering it with an amused expression. "My, and is that… is that _Namine?_"

Xion bit her lip. She watched Riku just long enough to see which corner he turned, then marched over to the Larxene. "Give me that!" She snatched the paper away from her, and took off at a run after Riku. The Larxene shouted, but Xion tried not to listen.

_It's just… the right thing to do, _Xion thought, trying very hard not to crumple the paper in her hands. _It's his, and he should have it back. That's all._

It wasn't like she was trying to be nice. If the Larxene hadn't been there, she would've just left it there for him to have found. Though, if the Larxene hadn't been there, he wouldn't have run off, and…

_What's his _deal, _anyway? And he- he shouldn't be—_

She cut that thought short. It was probably normal to be thinking it again, after the Larxene had brought it up, but it still made her a little queasy. How much repetition of the same thought was normal? How much was just her failing data?

_Stop thinking and keep running, Xion! You're gonna lose him!_

She picked up her pace, and kept running. She nearly lost track of him at least once—no surprise, when the walls seemed to throw the sound of his footsteps behind her while she saw him ahead of her. And her eyes kept playing tricks on her, too, seeing him turn one corner out of the side of her eyes, but knowing he'd turned another.

Soon enough she was quite glad she had the ability to form dark corridors, because she was thoroughly lost. She had no idea if Riku was even heading _anywhere, _or just… running.

_Shoulda kept his picture and returned it next time I saw him, _she thought. She nearly crumpled it in her hands again. _Or maybe I should've never returned it at all. _

But it was the right thing to do.

_ Hard to return it, though, when I don't know where he is!_

She'd lost him. One second of distraction, and she'd lost him. She stood still for a moment, angrily tapping her toes against the ground. She glanced at the paper in her hand, wondering again if it was even worth returning. It was a picture, a drawing. Riku and some girl with blonde hair… _Namine, _had that Larxene said? The name _felt _right, resonating with the distorted memories she'd inherited from Sora.

Sighing, she pocketed the drawing. She'd return it when she next saw him. If she ever saw him again.

She was just about to form a dark corridor back to her room, she heard shouting. It was distant, and scattered, but it… _sounded _like Riku. She followed it very quickly, and very carefully, knowing what these walls seemed to do with sound. Eventually the screams started becoming words.

"Pull yourself _together _you big _failure!_"

Xion paused, heart racing, before she finally realized that Riku was yelling at _himself. _She started walking again, but slower this time.

"You can't even _look _at her without _freezing up! _She didn't _do _anything to you! But you were _scared _like an _idiot. _Don't- _don't—_" The words dissolved into a choked scream.

Xion hesitated outside the door—it was definitely this one—not sure if she should… interrupt him, or just… leave the picture in the doorway and go. That latter option certainly seemed more logical, if not… safer. She pulled the picture out of her pocket.

"_I'll kill her!_" Riku screamed. "I'll kill _every one _of them! It'd be better than _this. _She deserves it, anyway! She _deserves it!_"

Xion's blood ran cold. He couldn't… _mean _that. Could he? She almost dropped the picture and ran, but stopped herself. She wanted to. But would he see it when it wasn't directly in the doorway? She'd come all this way to give it back to him, and…

_And if I talk to him… What am I supposed to do? Talk him out of it?_

It seemed absurd, but she cleared her throat anyway.

"Hey!" she called.

Silence.

She took a breath.

Any longer and she would just leave the picture here and leave. She'd gotten his attention, at least—he'd come investigate and see it.

"Go _away!_" he replied, finally. It was more a croak than anything else.

"Trust me, I plan on it," Xion mumbled. "I have something I think you want," she called, though. "Especially so another Larxene doesn't get their hands on it."

She heard him scrambling to get up, followed by frantic footsteps. He half slammed into the doorway, though he didn't appear to mind. "The picture! Did she see it?"

"Unfortunately," Xion said, assuming by _she _he meant the Larxene. She handed the picture to him, and he took it. His hands trembled. And, looking at him, he looked a right mess. His eyes were red, and tears streaked his face—his hands weren't the only thing that was trembling.

_Don't go feeling sorry for him! _she scolded herself. _After what he said? Even if he is a mess, he just threatened to kill quite a few people! _And she felt like he'd done worse, too. She opened her mouth to give her mind on that matter—it wasn't _his _place to go around _killing _people like that. You couldn't just go around _killing _people, anyway. There was no _right _to that!—but he spoke before she had the chance.

"Hey… It's you…" He frowned at her, as if studying her.

Xion swallowed. _Yes, it's me, now about this whole killing Larxenes thing—_that was all she had to say. Instead she said: "I'm only here to return the picture. Good day." And she left, turning up her nose as she did so.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_**

"Hey, Xion."

Xion looked up at Joseph. She was sitting in that corner spot of the Main Room again. She spent a few hours out here, one or so at a time, just so the sight of her own room didn't drive her insane. Joseph handed her an ice cream—he already had one in his mouth.

"Hey Joseph," Xion said. "What's up?" The ice cream was sea-salt, not that she expected anything else from Joseph. It was like he didn't know any other ice cream flavors existed.

"Eh, life as usual." He flopped down on the couch next to her. "29 seems pretty paranoid though." To Xion's surprised, Joseph didn't sound very worried about it. In fact, he sounded like this was a regular occurrence.

"About what?" she asked.

Joseph shrugged. "Dunno! I feel like something's going on though. Something… _big._" He paused dramatically, holding it for a full five seconds before breaking into a grin. "I feel like it's gotta do with Riku, probably. You see him hanging around?"

"Yeah." Xion said. She grimaced. The thought of Riku didn't fail to bring a foul taste to her mouth, like it always did.

"Aww, what's with the sour face?" Joseph nudged her.

"Uh, have you met Riku?"

Joseph nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

He seemed genuinely enthusiastic, too. Like Riku miraculously didn't drive him bonkers. Joseph _would_ be the only person who wouldn't find Riku insufferable, wouldn't he?

Still, Xion asked: "How do you _stand _him?"

Now Joseph looked confused. "Whaddaya mean? I mean I know he's all rough around the edges and junk but _I _think he's a big softie on the inside. Y'know?"

"I really don't."

"C'mon he's not _all _bad." Joseph nudged her again. She scooted a little away from him—another nudge like that and he'd send his ice cream flying, and she'd much prefer it ended up on the couch, not in her lap.

"If you say so," she mumbled.

Joseph pouted, sighed a huffy sigh, then broke into another grin.

"Well, enough about that!" he said. "How's your life been?"

"Good," Xion replied. It was more noncommittal than anything else. Life was… life. It involved either sitting on this couch, or sitting in her room. Outside of Roxas's visits, and the few times she got to go on missions with him, it wasn't that exciting. It never had been.

Oh, but, thinking about missions with Roxas…

"The other day, though," she said. Joseph would like this story. "Me and Roxas found this Shadow Heartless—y'know the really small and kinda cute ones?"

It took a moment, but recognition finally flashed in Joseph's eyes. "Oh yeah! Those!"

"Well, we were gonna try and keep one as a pet—or, just for the mission, at least," Xion continued. "So we found one, and we named it Fred." A smile formed on her lips at the thought of it. "Roxas ended up killing it, though." But even that had been sort of fun. _Blaming _Roxas when she wasn't even sure it hadn't been _her _that struck the final blow was certainly fun.

"Aww," Joseph said. "Though, I guess I shouldn't be too worried. It was just a Heartless, after all."

"Yeah," Xion laughed. Her sentiments were generally the same.

"Hey, maybe I should tell Fred!—Or, at least the bit with you naming a Heartless after him. Not that it was after him. That was completely coincidental." He dragged out the word _coincidental, _making sure to enunciate each syllable, as if fearing saying it wrong. "I'll probably leave out the bit about Fred the Heartless dying."

"Who's Fred?"

"Oh, he's one of the Experiments," Joseph clarified. "Nice kid. Haven't seen him in ages, though…" His face darkened a little as he said that.

"Uh… sorry?" Xion said. She wasn't sure what else to say. Or if she was supposed to say anything. It wasn't like Joseph seemed devastated about the matter.

Joseph waved her apology off, which she'd sort of expected. "Nah, don't be," he said. "I mean, I know him. But it's not like we're good friends or anything. He's a _lot _younger than me. Besides, he's probably fine, even with that chronic cold that won't go away."

Xion started to say something, but then didn't. She wasn't sure if she should ask about _how much _younger this Fred was than Joseph—it wasn't like Joseph was that old—or if she should ask about the chronic cold. Or if she should just ask about neither. She eventually settled on neither, largely because Raymond showed up.

"Hey Joseph!" he called, waving his arms over his head. "Patrick's waiting! C'mon!"

"Coming!" Joseph called back. He jumped to his feet, taking a bite of ice cream as he went. "See ya, Xion!"

"See ya."

"Try'n eat your ice cream, huh? It's gonna melt!"

Xion looked down at her ice cream as Joseph ran off. It _was_ melting, and she'd only taken one bite. She didn't really want it, though… It'd be rude to toss it, but since Joseph was gone…

"Hey, Xion!"

Roxas's voice.

She looked to find him, a grin as wide as Joseph's spreading on her face.

"Hi, Roxas."

"I've got a solo mission now, so if you wanna come." She didn't know why he bothered _asking _anymore_. _He _knew _that her answer would be yes. It was always yes.

"Neat!" she said. Then she handed the ice cream out to him. "You want it? I know I took a bite of it, but I don't really want it anymore…"

He took it from her and sunk his teeth into it without a single protest. She found herself laughing.

"Can you eat that on the mission, or should we wait until you're done?"

"The mission's just in Twilight Town, I think I can manage!"

"Alright, but when you've still got that thing in your mouth when we run into Heartless, I'm not helping you. I'm just going to laugh."

Roxas stuck his tongue out at her. She formed the dark corridor.

**xxx**

"Ah, there's some Heartless," Xion said, sending a wry look at Roxas. He still had about half an ice cream left. He grimaced and grumbled a word she was sure he'd learned from Axel. She laughed. "I'll take care of them while you find a trash," she told him.

He thanked her and started off. Xion struck her stance and summoned her Keyblade—

—or, she tried to. It didn't come. Her heart thudded to a halt.

"Roxas wait I can't summon my Keyblade!" The words came out in a rush. She stared at him, wide-eyed—a look he mirrored.

"What? Why not?"

Xion shrugged. "I dunno! It's just not coming!" She tried to summon it again. And again. Then again with her left hand. Nothing. Her heart felt about ready to burst out of her chest.

"That's not… _That's not good!_" Roxas sounded as frantic as she felt.

"No it's not!"

"Uh—"

"Uhm—"

"How 'bout you take the ice cream and I'll fight," Roxas said, thrusting the ice cream into her hands.

"Good idea."

Finding a trash for the ice cream wasn't hard. Twilight Town was fairly good about that sort of thing, even in the back alleys. She had one located and the ice cream discarded in no time, and was running back to Roxas, not that she was quite sure what she could do without her Keyblade.

Roxas had finished with the batch of Heartless when she returned, and had even banished his Keyblade.

"Should I, uh…" Xion cleared her throat. "Should I head back to C.O., then? Since I can't really help without a—"

"No way!" Roxas interrupted. "Help or no, you think I don't want to hang out still? I mean, it's a shame about your Keyblade, but I'm not sending you back if you don't wanna go back. Besides, you can still do magic, right?"

"I… Hmm." Xion frowned. She had no idea if she could still do magic or not. She put her hands out in front of her and focused—She cast Fire without a problem. She sent a hesitant smile at Roxas. "Guess I can."

"Then you can still help out, if you want. Or you can stand on the side. Whatever."

"Alright…"

Xion couldn't quite say if she was happy or not. Of course, she wasn't happy that she'd lost her Keyblade, somehow, but she was pretty happy Roxas didn't mind her still tagging along. She asked him about the quota, seeing as they definitely wouldn't reach double, but he assured her that it wouldn't matter. Him having a Keyblade alone should do it, and if not, oh well. So long as they met quota, there wouldn't be a problem.

"Once we're done I want to see 7 about this," Xion said. "Me losing my Keyblade can't be normal, obviously…"

"Of course! We can do that!" Roxas flashed a grin at her. The grin sent a warmth through her chest. She mumbled a thank you, even though it probably wasn't necessary. They continued looking for Heartless.

**xxx**

7 scratched his nose as he examined the computer screen. "Well, from the looks of it, your data's been scrambled," he said. He didn't take his eyes away from the computer—in fact, he leaned forward and squinted at it. "I've… I've never seen a scrambling quite like this, but! It shouldn't be hard to fix."

"Can I stay awake?" Xion asked. From her position on the cot, she could see 7 and the computer very well. "While you're editing it? I know I'll have to… go to sleep…" she wasn't sure how else to phrase it, "…for you to enact the changes, but until then…."

7 hesitated a moment. "Uh, yeah. I don't see why not."

"Any idea why it happened?" Roxas asked. He'd taken his spot in the second swivel chair again.

"Scrambled data can be caused by trauma—even to the body—or stress," 7 said, absentmindedly. He was typing away at the computer now. Vexens must've had good multitasking skills, Xion noted. "It doesn't sound like Xion's been through either—you said this happened before even laying eyes on Heartless, didn't you?—but there's no way of telling."

"I could've always lost the ability before today," Xion added. "It has been a while since I last tried to summon my Keyblade."

"Exactly," 7 agreed. "Now, anyway, that should've done—" The computer beeped at him. He stopped. Frowned. Leaned closer to the screen. "What? What do you _mean _you cannot apply changes?" It took Xion a second to realize he was talking to the computer. "'Invalid code'? That code is perfectly _normal_!"

"Was it a typo?" Roxas suggested.

"I… _Maybe…_" 7 didn't sound to certain. He scratched at his nose again, brow creasing. "I'll… I'll pull up Roxas's data and copy the ability from there, just to be safe."

A few keystrokes later, though, and the computer was beeping again. 7 made a frustrated sound between a growl and a hum.

"It's my unstable data, isn't it…?" Xion asked.

7 shook his head. "I… I wouldn't know. No one's dealt with unstable data at length before." He scratched at his nose again, perhaps a little more aggressively than last time, and pulled his glasses away from his face. "And, in theory… Theory-wise, this never came up, which I guess is a little frustrating. Unstable data should make you incapable of functioning from the start, not down the road as time wears on."

"And are you any closer to _fixing _her unstable data?" Roxas demanded. The bite in his tone reminded Xion much too much of Riku.

"Well, no," 7 admitted. "We could try the supplemental data again, but I doubt we'll have any better success with it, especially considering…" He gestured at the computer screen, then slid his glasses back on his nose. "And, even then, I'm not so sure if supplemental data is all it will take anymore. There's something else going on here—hang on."

He reached for something on his desk, which Xion saw was a walkie-talkie the moment he had it up to his ear.

"R? What? No. Listen, Xion—you remember her, don't you? Yes, yes, her! Listen, she can't summon her Keyblade, the code is scrambled…"

Xion listened hard to him as he explained. Or, rather, she listened past him to the static on the other end of the line, trying to pick up R's voice. It wasn't easy, but if she concentrated enough…

"You wouldn't have anything to do with that?" 7 asked. Pause. Xion could vaguely hear R on the other end, but couldn't quite make out her words. "It's not a virus?"

Virus? The question surprised Xion, and from how Roxas straightened in his chair, it surprised him, too. R's response was long enough this time that Xion could better make it out.

"…considered a data scrambling virus!"

"You aren't lying?" 7 pressed.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, 7—I'm not an idiot. I know releasing a new one is guaranteed to get not just the Replicas infected killed, but myself is well." There was a pause, then she added. "Honestly, if not because I was involved, then because I was infected, too…"

7 laughed. "You do have a nasty habit of catching them all, don't you?"

"I know, it's _infuriating._"

Xion looked over at Roxas, who responded with a raised-eyebrow. He was just as confused as she.

"Alright," 7 said. "I believe you."

"Thanks, o ye of little faith."

"I said I believe you!"

"What was that about?" Xion asked, when 7 had hung up.

He sighed and shook his head, though all if it looked more fond than exasperated. "It's a long story," he said. "Perhaps another time."

"So supplemental data _isn't _going to work?" Roxas butt in.

Now 7's sigh was exasperated. "We can try, but, no, I don't think it will. There _is_ more going on here, and…. I'm sorry, Xion, I—"

"Would me coming in to see you once a week or so help any?" Xion interjected. "So you can look at my data?"

"I… What?"

Xion shrugged. "Well, I don't see how you can be doing much good looking at only a basic file which clearly isn't always up-to-date, and with new problems arising…"

7 considered her for a long moment. He looked a little stunned. "That is… That is very wise of you, Xion. Yes. That would be nice."

"Are we still going to try the supplemental data again?" Roxas said.

"Would you like to?" 7 turned to Xion.

"I guess it can't hurt," Xion agreed. She lay down on the cot.

According to Roxas, the same thing as last time happened. Though, apparently, the _Invalid Code _error popped up just as much as the _Incompatible Data _error did. Either way, it didn't work. Xion couldn't say she was surprised. She'd sort of resigned herself to it.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11_**

Roxas wasn't quite surprised to see Xion in the Main Room of C.O., considering she'd been hanging out there pretty frequently lately. When he'd asked why, she'd said it was because it was "apparently just as safe, and a change of pace is nice". He wasn't sure how he felt about it being safe—he'd been hearing a lot of rumors about C.O. and what was going on, and none of the rumors were kind—but, then again, no one had made a fuss over Xion.

Today, though, he was surprised to see Xion talking to a Larxene. They both looked at least mildly frustrated.

"That's it?" the Larxene asked. He thought her voice sounded familiar, but, then again, Larxenes probably _all _sounded the same.

"Yes, that's it!" Xion replied. She sounded on the verge of shouting. "Now leave me alone."

"Are you sure—"

"Can't you just ask 7?"

"W-_well…_"

"What's up?" Roxas asked, having finally come within speaking distance of the two of them. He relaxed his shoulders, trying to appear and sound as laid-back as possible, regardless of how… annoyed he felt. It was a trick he'd picked up from Axel.

Xion sighed, rubbing her head. "It's nothing, Roxas."

"I was just leaving," the Larxene agreed. She turned up her nose.

Roxas drummed his fingers against his side. "Why were you here, anyway?" he asked, eyeing the Larxene. Last thing Xion needed was Larxenes giving her trouble.

"I was _trying _to help," the Larxene replied, with a loud sniff.

"And I told her that she was better off asking 7 what was wrong than asking me," Xion chimed in. Then her eyes narrowed, and she shifted to look more directly at the Larxene. "Wait a minute—don't you already know what's wrong with me?"

"The basics, yeah," the Larxene said. "But 7 won't tell me any specifics. Besides, he'd only be able to give me the… mechanical aspects. I was looking a little more for—well, never mind. I guess I'll leave you be."

"Wait, _seriously?_" Roxas couldn't help the laugh that bubbled on his lips. "_You? _You're helping?"

Xion sighed. The Larxene glared.

"And just what's so funny about it?"

"I dunno. Just never expected a _Larxene _to, y'know, _help._" Roxas laughed louder, harder this time. He felt bad but, not much. It was hard to feel sorry for a Larxene. Besides, this one laughed a little at his suggestion.

"Alright, fine, I suppose you have a point there." A smile played on her lips. "I'm just feeling generous, that's all."

Roxas laughed a little again, figuring it was best to just humor her. "Right, so, say you can actually help—"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She went from smiling to murderous in a heartbeat.

"Roxas…" Xion began.

The Larxene continued before she could finish, before Roxas could begin to say anything. "Are you _insinuating _that I'm no good with computers?" She took a step towards Roxas, poking him in the chest.

He blinked rapidly. "Uh—"

"Well? Are you?"

"I just never imagined a Larxene being good with computers, that's all," Roxas said. It wasn't a lie.

The Larxene returned him with a long, considering look. "Mmmhmm…" She dragged the sound out, sounding surprisingly pleased. "That's what I _thought _you'd say. I'll be seeing you soon, mister."

"Uh, okay," Roxas said.

The Larxene left.

"Roxas, you sure about that?" Xion asked.

"What?" He turned to her. "Yes. Why are you giving me that look…?"

"That was R—the Larxene that 7 was talking to yesterday. And I _think _he mentioned something about viruses?"

Roxas frowned a moment, not understanding, but then he remembered. 7 had seemed very worried about the prospect of R having used a virus on Xion—at least, that's what he'd discerned from the overheard conversation. And if she was good with viruses…

"Well, it's not like she can do anything too serious to me," he said, as much to comfort Xion as himself. "Xemnas would be in a right state if I died."

Xion frowned at him. "I… guess there's that…."

"Was she bugging you too much?" Roxas asked. He moved to sit down on the couch next to her. He'd finished with his missions, so he was just here to hang out.

"Nah, and I could've handled it even if you hadn't shown up." Xion sent him a grateful look, anyway, then her eyes trailed after the Larxene. "Surprised she's still around, though, with the rate Riku's been killing Larxenes."

Roxas nodded, vaguely, then he processed what she'd said. He rounded on her, shifting to the edge of his seat. "Riku's killing Larxenes!?"

"Yeah! He's just _killing _them!" Xion shook as she spoke, her voice thick, agitated. "He saw one the other day and he was like," she paused, then continued in what Roxas was figured was a mocking imitation of Riku, "'Next Larxene I see gets the same treatment,' and everyone else was just like: 'yes sir, of course sir, may I worship the ground you walk on, sir?'" The second imitation was even more bitter than the one she'd done of Riku.

Roxas rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, he just… "Xion, c'mon, don't be ridiculous."

"Him killing Larxenes isn't ridiculous!"

"It's none of our business."

"He has _no right!_"

She'd shifted in her seat, too, practically sitting on her legs so she could stare him in the eye. She was trembling, fuming, fingers curled into tight fists. If looks could kill, he'd probably be dead—or, Riku would be, seeing as it was he who her anger was directed at.

"Look, Xion, I never said it was right." He reached out, patting her comfortingly. "But what are we supposed to do about it? I doubt he'll listen if we tell him to stop, and be honest, neither of us could take him in a fight."

Xion glared, bottom lip sticking out. "You could."

"I wouldn't count on it!" Roxas laughed. "I'm good at fighting Heartless, alright, but I've never had to fight a person before. And, y'know, that's Riku. He took down some of the top Organization members and won. I wouldn't want to face him unless I had to."

Xion's glare only deepened, and she pushed his hand off.

"What if you had orders to?" she demanded. "Would you kill someone simply because you were ordered to?"

When she put it like that, it made Roxas feel a little queasy. He started to shift in his seat, and then stopped, realizing well enough that would make him look like he was uncomfortable. He was, of course, but she didn't need to know. Then again, she was his friend—shouldn't he be honest with her? The Organization was really starting to rub off on him…

"I don't _exactly _have a choice," he told her. He didn't attempt to mask his unease this time. "Orders are orders. Saying no means I'm killed, at best."

"At best?"

Roxas shrugged, then sniffed. Had it always been so hard to breathe through his nose?

"Are you sure you really want to be doing this Organization thing?" Xion asked.

"Well I don't have a choice there, either! I mean, I was sorta _created _to do this."

Xion folded her arms across her chest. She pursed her lips together—pouted, really—and made a _hmph _noise. "I'm just saying I don't think I'd enjoy it very much."

Roxas took a deep breath, and then a second, because with how little air was going through his nose, the first was only slightly successful.

"Trust me, Xion, I don't enjoy it much either," he said. "But it's not like I can leave. Xemnas already threatened to drag me back and Rewrite me if it came down to that." He laughed, as if to make light of it, though the laugh was much angrier than he'd intended. "_Rewrite me. _I'm- I'm stuck here, Xion." He hadn't realized how much it'd frustrated him until now, until he was talking about it.

Xion's pout faded a little. "It doesn't bother you? Being tied down like that?"

"Well, like I said, there's not much I can do." He laughed again, perhaps more bitterly than the last laugh, though this laugh became a cough. "I guess you're lucky," he said, once he was done coughing. "You aren't tied down like I am."

"What are you talking about? Of course I am." She looked away from him, to the ground. Her fingers tightened around her arms, and her shoulders trembled. "I'm slated to die, because of some fatal slip in my data, and I can't go anywhere until that's fixed. And, once it's fixed, it's straight to Xemnas with me! Straight to be his perfect little puppet."

Roxas frowned at that, bringing his hand to his mouth to stifle another cough. Was that meant to be an indirect jab at him? He didn't _think_ it was intentional on Xion's part, so he decided to ignore it. "No one said you had to go to Xemnas after this…"

"Where else am I supposed to go?" She didn't look up, and, if anything, she trembled even harder.

"There are plenty of worlds out there, Xion, and you can go to any of them." Roxas tried to sound sincere, but that was hard when he was stifling coughs. Louder, _deeper _coughs. "I'm sure- I'm sure 7 won't mind. I'll visit you, too! As- as much as possible, anyway." He shrugged sheepishly.

Xion turned to him, considering him with a rather worried look. A look which deepened as he coughed again. "Well, like I said," she said, very slowly, pausing each time he coughed. "I can't go anywhere until I'm fixed."

"Maybe you should ask that Larxene for help," Roxas suggested. "I mean, if you really think she can—"

"And I… think you should see 7," Xion replied. "Or whoever it is you're supposed to see when something's wrong with your data."

"What?"

"I think we just found out what R did to you."

"And what's tha—?" Roxas stopped, sneezed. He grimaced a little at the sight of snot on his hand, and was quite glad he was wearing gloves, though he wiped his hand on his coat anyway.

"You're sick, Roxas," Xion said.

"Am I?" Roxas asked. "Oh, actually… this does feel like a cold." It took a second of digging through Sora's memories to be sure of that, but if he trusted them and Sora's latent knowledge inside of him, this definitely felt like a cold. The stuffy nose, the junk in his throat, the sneezing, the coughing—the only wonder was that it came on as fast as it did.

_Then again, this isn't a normal cold, _he thought._ Can't be—Replicas don't get sick._

"Exactly," Xion said. "Do you need me to walk you there, or can you get there on your own?"

Roxas gave her a wry look, which was quickly interrupted by another bout of coughing. Xion waited, the smile not leaving her face, but finally the coughing stop and he was able to assure her he'd be fine going on his own. She pressed a little, but it was all in good humor. Eventually Roxas was on his way.

"Ah, there he is!" the Larxene—R—said, when he entered 7's office. All Roxas could do was cough. He clutched himself tightly. He felt even worse than he had earlier.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12_**

"I'll save you the trouble, 7," R said, before 7 could ask why Roxas was there. She was sitting in one of the swivel chairs, swiveling idly back and forth, looking quite pleased with herself. "It's the cold virus. Scooch over, huh, so I can fix it for him?"

"That's alright, R, I'm perfectly capable of—" 7 broke off under her gaze, sighed, and moved aside. She pulled herself over to his computer. "Go ahead and sit down, Roxas. And R, what did he do to you to warrant this?"

"Said I wasn't any good at computers."

"Right…"

Roxas sat down on the cot, rubbing at his arms. He couldn't say he felt cold, but he certainly didn't feel _good. _He kept shaking, too, and he felt about ready to cough again. He did his best to hold that in.

"Don't worry too much about it, either," R added, cracking her knuckles one finger at a time. "I made sure to give him the non-contagious version so it wouldn't spread."

7 raised his eyebrows. "There's a non-contagious version?"

"Let's just say the only reason he wasn't here five minutes sooner is because there wasn't before today," R replied. "Why don't you lie down Roxas, so I can fix you up."

Roxas didn't lie down. He stared at her. "_You're _going to do it?" If he already didn't feel queasy enough…

"Have to prove a point, don't I?" R flashed a grin at him.

Roxas groaned. Of course. He would've gotten himself into this mess. He stifled another cough, then slowly lied down. It was absolutely impossible to breathe through his nose. The sooner this was over this, the better.

"Do you even know how to cure it?" 7 asked.

Roxas opened his eyes. He didn't like the sound of that. He propped himself up on his elbows, so he could see.

R shot 7 a dirty look. "Of course I do! I wrote it, didn't I?"

"Over a thousand hours of work on my part say otherwise…" 7 said. The look he gave R was equally as dirty.

"Well, okay, fine, I can cure this one but not so much the other ones."

"Really?"

"You're not helping me prove my point!"

"I think your point has been made," Roxas said, as quickly as possible, hoping to derail her. "Can we just make it so I'm not sick anymore? Or worse?"

R rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to mess up your data _that _bad."

"Why don't you save us the time and hassle, R, and just use the RVE?" 7 suggested.

"What's the RVE?" R asked, as she typed something on the computer. Her eyes darted across the screen, and then she started laughing. "Ohhh my gosh, the 'R Virus Eradicator'? That's absolutely _adorable, _7."

"You're calling a sophisticated piece of software that's capable of recognizing and curing every virus you've ever written _adorable?_" Roxas couldn't tell if 7 was angry, or amused.

"I didn't want to flatter your ego," R told him, with a wave of her hand. Immediately after she leaned into the screen, eyes glinting. "Does it work?" she asked, voice shaking a little with Roxas figured was excitement, after a moment.

"Of course it works!" Now 7 sounded a little irritated.

"Oh man, I could try it or I could prove my point…"

"Whatever you-" Roxas had to stop and clear the rasp from his throat. After coughing and thumping his chest a few times, he tried again: "Whatever you do, can you hurry up and do it? I'm really tired of feeling so gross."

"Alright, alright, I'll run the RVE," R said. "Lay back down Roxas—I can't believe you didn't tell me you _created _this, 7! Surely you would've bragged or something."

"I thought for sure you would have—"

That was all Roxas heard. He was awake again what felt like instantly, but knew had been at least a couple seconds.

"You're clear to go, Roxas," 7 said. He hardly looked at Roxas. "Still, R, I don't see what the big deal with not telling you is."

"I was only surprised, that's all, I mean—"

Roxas sniffed experimentally, but he no longer felt sick in the slightest. He could breathe again, and the itch in his throat was completely gone. Taking a deep breath—it was nice to breathe normally again—he headed for the door. Halfway there, though, he paused.

"Do… do either of you know anything about the rumors about what's going on in C.O.?" he asked.

They both looked up at him.

"Nothing besides what the rumors have said, no," 7 said.

"Rumors about which parts?" R asked.

Roxas shrugged. "I dunno. The bit about the M.I.A Replicas deserting to there, I guess."

"True, for the most part," R said.

"The Rebellion?"

"Can't confirm, but I wouldn't be surprised."

"What about Riku being in—"

"That's definitely true, I saw him."

"No, I know it's true," Roxas began, but was interrupted again, this time by 7.

"It is?" 7 looked rather surprised.

"Like I said, I saw him," R said. "Not personally, of course, and I wouldn't dare dream to, not now. But, I mean, we have security cameras for a reason, don't we?"

"What do you mean, _not now?_" 7 asked.

"Well, y'see, he's—"

"Wait a sec!" Roxas interrupted. "If anyone could've checked the security cameras—why don't any of the Organization members believe he's in C.O.?"

"If no one checked them, I suppose," 7 said.

"Isn't it Saix's job to? Being in charge of the Replica Program and all."

R scoffed. "Yeah, but name me one thing he's _actually _done for the Program since he was put in charge."

Roxas couldn't, but he wasn't sure if that only came down to the fact he hadn't been here all that long. Even so, considering Saix's reputation, and the way 7 nodded…

"And, knowing the other Organization members, I can't say it's entirely surprising," 7 added. "I can't really imagine any of them taking the time out of their day to look into something that doesn't immediately affect them."

"Exactly," R agreed. "But I wouldn't count on Xemnas not knowing. Xemnas not _caring, _or not seeing Riku as a _threat, _well… that's another story."

Now 7 frowned at her. "I… wouldn't be so sure."

"He knows everything, though. He knew about me writing viruses."

"You weren't exactly subtle…"

R rolled her eyes.

"Why hasn't Xemnas done anything about it, then, if he knows?" Roxas asked, hoping to steer them back on subject.

"Like I said, he either doesn't care, or doesn't see Riku as a threat," R answered.

Roxas grimaced. He thought Xemnas would care a little more about the Organization's safety, especially considering Riku's reputation. "That's surpr—" He stopped mid-word, blood running cold. "Wait, do you think he knows about Xion, too?"

"I wouldn't count on him not knowing," R said.

"No, he _can't _know," 7 argued. "He'd be making a fuss about her if he did. The Keyblade is all he ever wanted, and knowing that there's a second Replica out there who can use one—he _would have _gone after her if he knew, there's no doubt about it."

R raised her hands in defeat, though she didn't look convinced. "If you say so." She didn't sound convinced, either.

"That's… comforting…" Roxas said. It was sarcasm.

"Don't worry, once we have her data fixed, it won't be a problem," 7 said. "We'll have told Xemnas about her by then, and he won't resort to drastic measures to hunt her down."

Roxas gulped. "Uh, about… that." He cleared his throat. "Xion says she doesn't want to stay with the Organization. She doesn't really… like them…" Simplifying it to _she doesn't like them _felt a little silly, but he couldn't think of a better way to put it at the moment.

7 and R exchanged glances. 7 looked a little worried, but R didn't look a bit surprised.

"Can't say I blame her," she said.

"I… I don't know how I'm supposed to keep her safe from Xemnas once she's fully functional, though," 7 said. He reached up as if to adjust his glasses, except he wasn't wearing them now, so his hand hovered by his face awkwardly for a second.

"Going into hiding won't work?" Roxas asked, even though he'd expected as much.

"It's not like anyone's _really _succeeded in leaving the Organization before," 7 answered. After a stern glance from R, he hastily amended: "Well, alright, a Replica or two, here and there, yes. A few have managed to vanish off the radar. But none with as high of interest as Xion."

Roxas nodded. He'd figured that as much, too. Xemnas had threatened to drag _him _back if he left, why should it be any different for Xion, once he learned about her?

_I wonder why he wants the Keyblade so bad, though, _Roxas thought. _And Kingdom Hearts—what is it, anyway? What's he want with it?_

"You two are both missing the obvious solution," R sighed, spinning around once in 7's chair and somehow making it look nonchalant.

7 turned to her, looking more curious than anything else. "And what's that?"

"Don't give her her Keyblade back," R said. She shrugged. "Fix her data so it doesn't collapse on itself, but don't give her a Keyblade again. Without a Keyblade, Xemnas won't care about her, and she is completely, one hundred percent, free from the Organization."

"That's… that's a good point!" Roxas broke into a grin. A trick like that would never work to free him from the Organization—not that he could entirely say he wanted to leave, threats and questionable motives or no—but it would work for Xion. Even if Xemnas found out about her, or already knew about her… what use was she to him without a Keyblade?

"We'll have to check with her and make sure she's okay with it," 7 warned.

"C'mon, if it means being safe from Xemnas?" Roxas grinned even wider, opening the door. He had to go get Xion, and tell her right away. "I think she'll agree to it, no prob."


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 13_**

"No. Absolutely not."

Roxas gaped at her, then sent a look over at 7. 7 didn't look very surprised. R had left—she'd left sometime before Roxas had brought Xion here to discuss the idea of removing her Keyblade from her data.

"Aw, Xi, come on!" The shortening of her name slipped from his mouth before he fully realized it, but she didn't seem to mind, and there were more important things to worry about than taking it back. "Having a Keyblade will tie you to the Organization, just like it's tied me to them. I thought you wanted—"

"I don't care," Xion interrupted. Her arms were folded across her chest and her nose was in the air. "I- I _like _having a Keyblade. I… I can't explain it, but… I _like _having a Keyblade. What good am I without it?"

"_Alive!_" Wasn't that obvious? "That Larxene was right—not having a Keyblade means you can leave the Organization, leave Castle Oblivion, and no one will hunt you down. You'll- you'll be _free._" Hadn't she mentioned wanting to be free? Or was he imagining things?

She considered him a moment, the up-turn of her nose falling. She sighed, then shook her head. She appeared to be hugging herself as much as she had her arms over her chest for defiance. "I want to keep my Keyblade," she said.

"But—"

"It's her choice, Roxas," 7 interrupted.

Roxas sent a furious glance at him. Shouldn't he be helping? "_But—_"

7 continued as if he hadn't even spoken. "The moment I can, I will return the ability to you, Xion. I promise."

She smiled at him, a small smile, but there was a fire in her eyes. A determination. A desire. It was the sight of that fire that made Roxas close his mouth completely, the sight of that fire that made him back down. What right did he have to take her Keyblade from her? Even with the intention of keeping her safe…

"Any luck on working out how to fix me, by the way?" Xion asked, pleasantly enough.

All pleasantry fell from 7's face, for a moment, and then it was back in a thin mask. An attempt at reassuring them, at putting a happy spin on things. Roxas bit back an ill-tempered laugh. Like there was any use in pretending anything was alright when it wasn't.

"Well… Your data is collapsing on itself at an… unfortunately very steady rate," 7 said. His voice was heavy, likely heavier than he'd intended. "I- I figured out why it won't take changes to your Code, by the way—by the time I've unscrambled one portion, another has been scrambled, and it won't accept changes until _all _of it's been unscrambled, which, unfortunately, is a task easier said than done."

"Other parts are scrambled?" Xion frowned. "But what's been scrambled besides my Keyblade?"

7 sent her a rather no-nonsense type of look. "Tell me how your eyesight's been."

"It's been—oh." Xion paused. "I guess it has gotten… a little blurry."

"Exactly," 7 said, pausing only to sigh. "Not to mention some of your vital functions…"

Roxas got the feeling he hadn't meant that last bit to be heard, or maybe he had, but it was a wonder with how low his voice was when he said it. Roxas licked his lips, not sure where to butt in on the conversation, not sure what to say at all.

"Those are going, too….?"

Xion almost sounded resigned. Roxas's heart caught in his throat.

"They were doomed from the start, unfortunately." 7 sighed again, rubbing at his face. "I'm… I'm very sorry I…" He broke off, shaking his head.

"What?" Xion pressed.

He shook his head again. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't think like that. I'm only… I'm only sorry I can't figure out how to help you, Xion." 7 let out a long breath, reaching up in a gesture Roxas recognized again as trying to adjust a set of glasses that weren't there. "I thought, after all of R's viruses, something like this would be nothing, but no matter how much I puzzle, I can't… I can't figure it out."

"What do you mean you _can't_?" and now Roxas butt in, anger flooding him like white-hot fire. He gripped the back of the chair he was sitting in, arms trembling. The look Xion sent him made him try and calm himself. She looked… disappointed, more than anything. Disappointed in him…?

"It's… It's just harder than I'd initially anticipated," 7 corrected. His tone changed drastically, from unease to something calmer, firmer. "I won't stop trying, I just… I can't… I will try, as hard as I can, Xion." He moved his attention to her, face cracking into a reassuring smile. "I will try."

"Can you ask R?" Xion asked. "I mean, she seems to be good with computers and Coding and stuff."

Roxas nodded, quickly. "Yeah! I mean, if she wrote all those viruses…"

7 stared, looking quite uncomfortable all of a sudden. He blinked rapidly, then opened his mouth to speak, only to close it. After coughing, he finally said: "I, I suppose I can ask her for her opinion… I didn't really… _want _to, but…" He swallowed. Closed his eyes. "I will ask. My pride is not worth your life."

"Thank you, 7," Xion said. "For everything you've done."

"I…" He hesitated a moment. "You're welcome."

**xxx**

Xion wasn't much in the mood to hang out after that, so Roxas stayed only long enough to drop her off at her room. He did decide to walk back to the Main Room of Castle Oblivion, first, though he knew it was unnecessary and generally inefficient. He was fairly glad he did, as it turned out. Stumbling on 29—especially in this state—certainly wasn't a pleasure, but perhaps it was for the better.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

29 jumped, as if startled, and hastily wiped his eyes. Roxas had already figured he was crying, choking sobs like he'd been, and this only confirmed it. It was strange to see a Vexen cry, but it brought a lump to his throat regardless.

"I'm—" 29 started to nod, and then he shook his head, face contorted. He took a couple of breaths, though they didn't seem to do him any good. He was still a stuttering and shaking mess when he spoke, when he explained: "Saix has… he's started 'purging' the Program of- of those he deems…" 29 stopped there. He spent so long swallowing sobs that Roxas wasn't sure he would continue for a moment. "M-mistakes," he ground out, finally.

Roxas's eyes flew open wide.

"_Joseph?_"

29 shook his head. "No. Not yet. Thank goodness. I- I hope that- that moving him here and keeping him… keeping him occupied might spare him, but…" He pursed his lips together, with a great effort seeming to hold back another sob. "Ray-Raymond's gone."

The name brought a flash of an image—a boy with pink hair—to Roxas's mind.

"Raymond…?" he asked. "Is that- Is that the boy Joseph's usually playing with?"

29 nodded.

"The one who nearly broke the chandelier?"

"No, that was Patrick."

That name brought a flash of blond hair and a boyish smirk to Roxas's mind's eye. He nodded, remembering now. They'd both been bugging Xion that one day, in Joseph's attempt to get her away from Axel—though he'd seen them and Joseph together plenty a time, up to mischief more often than not. Raymond had been the quieter, nicer one.

"Oh," Roxas said. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "That's still…" He didn't know what to say. What was there to say, that would be enough to make up for the death of someone? There wasn't anything, really. "That's… that's awful," he said, finally. What else _could_ he say?

"I- I don't know what to tell Joseph-" 29 raked a hand through his hair. Roxas didn't see the point in telling this to _him, _but at this point, it seemed like 29 was blabbering. He was still crying, too. "How- how do I tell him that- How… How do I…?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

He only wished there was more he could say.

"Okay. That's okay." 29 nodded, wiping his eyes again. It didn't seem like a proper answer, in a lot of ways. Roxas wasn't sure if he could blame him, though. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," Roxas said, quickly. "I understand completely. This is- this is terrible news, and… I can't imagine if it were Xion…" The thought horrified him. It infuriated him. "This isn't- this isn't _okay! _Can we stop it? Can we stop Saix?"

29 shook his head. "None of us are important enough to make a difference." He sounded resigned, and that made Roxas's blood boil further. "Anyone who risks speaking out against him—fighting against him—would be killed. A couple Replicas here and there don't matter to him. It never has."

Roxas sighed, but 29 was right. He'd heard it himself. _"Besides, it's not like we can't just replace them,"—_cruel words, from a cruel master, from a man who never should've been given the Program to begin with.

Then he remembered what else had been said, during that meeting.

"…I'm important enough."

29 stared a moment. Hope seemed to burn in his eyes, before fading. "He won't listen."

"But I can _try,_" Roxas argued. There was no doubting it. There was no going back. "He can't kill me, because Xemnas wouldn't have it. He may not listen but, I have to try. And I can ask Axel—he and Saix used to be friends, I think. If I can't talk some sense into him, maybe Axel can."

29 chuckled, a broken thing. "By all means, Roxas. Go for it."

"I will." Roxas nodded. "I will, and I'll let you know how it goes. I will."


	14. Chapter 14

**_Chapter 14_**

Roxas wasn't exactly sure how to get Saix's attention, though, so he ended up waiting until after the next meeting. He hardly heard what the meeting was about, something about more missing Replicas, he thought, along with something about Castle Oblivion, maybe. Finally the meeting was over, and everyone left—everyone but Saix, and Xemnas, and Xigbar.

There was a moment of what seemed to be silent surprise, as they realized he was still there. The silence dragged on a second more, then Xemnas spoke:

"What is it you want, Roxas?"

Roxas swallowed. He hated how clammy he felt when talking to Xemnas directly.

"I- I wanted to talk to Saix," Roxas said. He hoped he sounded a least a little more confident than he felt.

"Why didn't you talk to me after receiving your missions?" Saix asked, with a raise of his eyebrows. He almost sounded bored.

"I tried, you wouldn't listen," Roxas answered. Saix hardly glanced at him twice when handing him his missions, and that made striking up a conversation nigh-impossible. Not to mention this wasn't the sort of thing you could casually have a conversation in the Grey Area about.

Saix sighed. "Well, I'm listening now."

Roxas swallowed. "I- I think you don't have any right to be killing the Experiments!" The words all came out in a rush, which while probably for the better, was incredibly embarrassing.

Xemnas and Saix and Xigbar all paused, and they seemed to collectively raise their eyebrows—along with exchange glances—at the same time. All three of them looked at least a little amused. Xigbar looked _more _than amused, really, but then again, he was Xigbar…

Xemnas chuckled, finally. It sent chills down Roxas's spine.

"They're just Vexen's pet projects," he said. "What do they matter?"

"They're people, just as much as you are," Roxas protested.

"So you mean, not at all, then?" Xigbar burst out into laughter. "We don't have hearts, remember, kiddo? We aren't people! And while you Replicas may be a bit higher quality than us, I wouldn't go calling yourselves people, either."

The words made Roxas's blood boil, but not as much as what Saix said next.

"Replicas are only tools to be used." He sounded so casual about it, and that, perhaps, was most infuriating. "What use did those _Experiments _have?"

Roxas started to protest, but then shut his mouth. What more was there to say? Nothing could convince them. He waited only long enough to make sure no one was going to say anything else, and then he left.

He was quite surprised when not seconds after arriving in one of the halls of the World that Never Was a dark corridor formed next to him. He was even more surprised when it was Xigbar who came out.

"Listen, kiddo, I get what you're sayin'." Xigbar clapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning heavily on him. Roxas staggered a little under his weight, nowhere near over his shock.

"Uh, what?"

"I'm sayin', you're _right,_" Xigbar said, grinning down at him. "Killing them does seem a bit too far, don't it? But there's no arguing with Saix, no arguing with the boss man—as much as it _stinks, _y'know? I'll miss the suckers running around, but it's too late to do anything now, really."

"R-right…?"

Xigbar sent him one last toothy grin, and then clapped him on the shoulder one more time. "See ya, kiddo!" He was gone.

Roxas rubbed his shoulder, not sure what to make of what had just happened.

**xxx**

Roxas found Axel in his room, stretching like he had just gotten up from a nap, or was preparing to take one.

"Yo, Axel, do you think you could—"

"If you want me to play wingman for you to impress Xion, the answer is most definitely no," Axel replied, mid-stretch, not even turning to Roxas.

Roxas gaped.

"I—_what?_"

He knew what Axel _meant, _of course, he just didn't see how it was relevant. He liked Xion, sure, but certainly not like _that. _And even if he did, he didn't need a _wingman. _Nor did he want Axel for one. He'd do just fine on his own. Not that he'd need to. He didn't like Xion like that. Why did his cheeks feel so hot all of a sudden?

Axel stopped stretching, then started laughing. "Aw, Roxas, I'm just kidding. Whatcha really need?"

Roxas swallowed, trying to get his thoughts together again.

"Uh, chances of you talking to sense into Saix?"

The smile immediately fell from Axel's face, and he started to reach over his shoulder to scratch his neck, only to stop in the middle of that. The grimace on his face deepened.

"That _depends… _on what it's about…" Axel said.

"Him not killing the Experiments?"

Axel grunted—or growled—then dropped his hand to his side and shook his head. "Slim," he said. He looked like he'd just swallowed something foul.

"Drat…"

Not that Roxas expected much. Especially not after what Saix had said earlier, and given the fact that, despite knowing Axel and Saix knew each other, he rarely saw them talking. In fact, the most they seemed to interact was at meetings.

"Sorry, Roxas. I wish." After a second of hesitation, like he wasn't quite sure what to do with his hands, Axel crossed his arms over his chest. "But talking to him about the Replica Program is like… talking to a brick wall. A very stubborn, very _angry, _brick wall."

Roxas let out a long sigh.

Axel looked up at him, then sighed, too.

"I mean… I can try."

Roxas broke into a grin. "Would you?"

"Yeah, but no promises."

"Thanks, Axel!"

That taken care of, Roxas headed off. Not that Axel minded, seeing he had been about to take a nap, as it turned out. He said he'd try talking to Saix next time he saw him. Roxas hoped Axel would manage to keep Saix from, at least, killing the rest of the Experiments, but there was no telling.

**xxx**

Roxas's next stop was Castle Oblivion, to tell 29 about what had happened with Saix. It wasn't good news, no, but it had to be done. It took quite a bit of asking to locate 29, but finally he was pointed in the right direction, and found the right room.

He paused outside the open door, realizing there was a conversation going on, and not wanting to interrupt it. He took no more than a quick glance in—any more would undoubtedly give away his position—to see who all was in there. 29 was there, certainly, along with two other Vexens. One of them was 19, easily recognizable by the thick three-ring binder he always seemed to have with him. Besides the Vexens, there was one Zexion, and one Marluxia. Roxas thought the Marluxia was Amaryllis, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"I don't see why we'd like to work for him, seeing as he _is _Vexen's killer," the Vexen who Roxas didn't recognize was saying, when Roxas arrived. It only took a moment for him to realize they were talking about Riku.

"Now, 23," another Vexen said—it must've been 19, because it didn't sound like 29—"That's an awful foul thing to say. Besides, at least he considers us as people, unlike Saix."

"He's also just a _boy,_" the Vexen who was apparently 23 said. Roxas didn't much like the sound of his attitude.

"23's right, though. Are we sure that the best idea is to help him?" the Marluxia asked.

The Zexion laughed. "Help him? Please, I was thinking of using him. As strong as he is, what better asset to help us take down—"

"Alpha, hang on," 29 interrupted. He cleared his throat and then raised his voice: "Roxas? Are you just going to stand there eavesdropping all day or are you going to come in and tell us what's on your mind?"

Roxas jolted, a little surprised, and stepped out of his semi-hiding spot before he realized he was doing it. "I—sorry." He swallowed. Had he meant to apologize? "I… How did you…?"

29 raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think I cannot recognize the sounds of a boy snooping around where he shouldn't be?"

Roxas flushed, embarrassed and a little insulted between being caught and being called a _boy. _Then he remembered that Joseph, who 29 was most used to dealing with, was only a few years younger than him. Two years younger than him, if he remembered correctly.

"How much did he hear?" the Marluxia asked, poised almost as if to attack.

"I won't tell," Roxas stammered. He knew that there'd be no use in the Marluxia attacking him, and especially not in killing him—he was the Organization's prized Keyblade, after all—but it didn't keep his heart from leaping to his throat. That stare could make a rock tremble. "I didn't hear much, but I certainly won't tell a word of it. Promise. I don't like Saix as much as you guys."

The Marluxia's expression softened. Alpha's did not.

"Did you talk to him?" 29 asked.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, I tried. I don't think I got anywhere, though." He rubbed his arms. "Telling Saix to quit killing the Experiments doesn't guarantee he will, even if I did ask Axel to try and talk him out if it."

"Well, thank you for trying," 29 said. "We can… We can hope, though most of the damage has been done. We must've lost at least half of them, not to mention a few of the caretakers…"

"You're welcome. And I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He clutched his arms tightly to his chest, not liking the glint that had suddenly entered Alpha's eyes. "Well, anyway, I'll get going now. That's all I had to say, and you guys were in the middle of something that I know nothing about." He flashed them all a smile, and headed for the door.

"Take care, Roxas!" the Marluxia called.

"Uh-huh."

Roxas formed a dark corridor as soon as he was in the hallway. His last stop for the day? See Xion. He had a special place in mind to visit with her today, and hoped she was feeling better. She'd been… quieter, lately. Slower. Either it was the failing data manifesting itself, or she was—no. It had to be her failing data. It had to be.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Chapter 15_**

"Flying, Roxas? _Really?_" Xion folded her arms across her chest and looked over at him expectantly. They were standing in the middle of a rock on the ocean (thankfully, actual land was in sight), and while the name of this place—_Neverland—_rang bells in her head, flying seemed a _little _farfetched. Maybe… She only wished Roxas hadn't insisted so hard on dragging her out here. There was a painful stitch in her side that'd been there all day, and it didn't make walking fun.

"I mean it, Xion! It worked last time I was here." Roxas looked about ready to jump into the air again. He'd tried the moment they got here, and landed flat on his face, which wasn't helping his mood, or helping convince Xion about the flying thing. "There was a fairy, no, a _pixie _that gave me magic dust—"

"Magic dust," Xion repeated, stifling a laugh. The laugh, unfortunately, made her side hurt too.

"—_that made me fly, _yes," Roxas finished, glaring furiously. "Dig through Sora's memories, for goodness sake! He knows all about this place!"

Xion shook her head, wishing Roxas would get it through his head already. "I don't _have_ a lot of Sora's memories! And I definitely don't have any of Neverland."

"Are you serious? Not even a memory of flying?"

"Sora flew?" she asked, a little confused, and a little surprised.

"Well, I have a memory of flying in my head and I don't know whose else it could be," Roxas replied. He crinkled his mouth at her in a sort of _no duh _gesture, one that made her a little annoyed and a little amused at the same time.

She let out a long dramatic sigh. "Alright, fine, I believe you." The more they talked about it, the more… well, the more it seemed right. Maybe some of Sora's memories _were _leaking through her head. "But we gotta find that fairy first, don't we?"

"Pixie," Roxas corrected.

"Does it matter?"

The moment she said it, something flicked her ear. She yelped in surprise, and a little in pain, hand immediately flying up to rub the aching ear. She sent a glare at Roxas, even though it obviously hadn't been him, and then something small and bright and _sparkly _flew past her face.

"Hey, there she is!" Roxas called, laughing. The small bright flying thing doubled back and stopped in front of her nose, and with it stopped and up this close, Xion realized it was not a thing, but a tiny girl. A fai—pixie.

The pixie was red in the face and appeared to be shouting, though all Xion could hear was the sound of bells. Roxas walked over and gently shooshed the pixie away from Xion's face, though he said nothing about the crude gesture the pixie sent at Xion after he did so.

"That's right, isn't it?" Roxas asked, directing the question at the pixie. "Proper terminology _does _matter!" He cupped the pixie protectively in his hands, and she sat down in his palms, folding her arms over her chest and nodding furiously.

Xion gaped, anger quickly lost in response to Roxas's actions. "Wooow," she said, drawing the word out. Roxas ignored her.

"D'you think we could have some of that dust again?" Roxas asked, holding the pixie up to his face. After a second of considering him—and what looked like another crude gesture at Xion—the pixie nodded, and took to the air. She circled once above Roxas's head, dust falling from her, then flew to Xion. Xion should've expected what was coming after watching the pixie sprinkle dust on Roxas, but that didn't mean she was any less surprised, and didn't mean she didn't sneeze, either.

The dust felt like dust, which was certainly a surprise when it came to something that was magical—usually magical things were never quite what they were labeled as—and tickled her nose as much as real dust would have. She didn't sneeze once, but twice, and she was quite certain all it did was send more dust up her nose. Not to mention the sneezes each tore at the stitch in her side, and the rush of it all made her head swim. She _hated _being like this.

"Thanks!" Roxas called, as the pixie flew off. He was taller. No, wait, he was a good foot off the ground, if not more. He was _flying._

Xion looked down at her own feet, but they were still firmly planted on the ground. She looked back up at Roxas, who was still waving after the pixie, and wasn't sure if she should gape or glare. "How are you doing that?" she demanded.

"You gotta think happy thoughts, too!" Roxas told her, laughing a little giddily. "It's not that hard!"

"Ye—"

"And you've gotta stop being skeptical!"

Xion pouted a moment, but swallowed the skeptical remark she'd been in the middle of saying. She closed her eyes. Let out a long breath. Summoned the happiest thoughts she could imagine to her. Memories of laughing with Roxas would do it, wouldn't it? She focused as hard as possible on the memory of him, the thought of him, the smile that stretched across his face…

She didn't feel any different. Opening her eyes revealed why: she was still on the ground. Her stomach immediately plummeted. The stitch in her side seemed to hurt twice as much, though that was probably just annoyance.

"It's not working," she said.

Roxas grimaced a little, lowering a few inches in the air. "Funny… You _are _thinking happy—"

"_Yes!_"

"Geeze, don't be so snippy." Roxas held his hands out to Xion. "C'mon. Grab on, and look at me. And put a smile on that face, too!"

Xion rolled her eyes, but did as told. "You aren't gonna try and lift me, are you?" she asked, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"I shouldn't need to," Roxas replied. "Happy thoughts, now, come on, it's not that hard!"

Xion sighed again. Happy thoughts. How happy was happy enough? And it was hard to think nothing but happy thoughts when there was still that stitch in her side, especially when it was aching up a storm. She tried to concentrate on Roxas's face. The memory of his smile hadn't done it justice. It didn't capture how eager the smile was, didn't capture the glint in his eyes.

She should have more than enough happy thoughts to get in the air, so why wasn't she flying?

Roxas tugged on her arms a little—probably more of a result of him floating a little higher than anything else—and the action tugged the stitch in her side. A sharp pain jolted through her, followed by a sting of annoyance. She let go of Roxas's hands. Maybe it was impossible to summon enough happy thoughts to fly when the fact she was _broken, _the fact she was _dying, _hung over her like a dark cloud.

"I don't think I can do this," she said.

"C'mon, Xion, don't give up!" Roxas was still taking this rather good naturedly, with little more than a tried patience. "We'll get you in the air eventually, no big!"

"It's not flying I'm worried about," she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Roxas sighed—if he was frustrated with her, he wasn't showing any more than a mild annoyance. "Stop being such a grump, Xion! It's a lot of fun once you get up here."

"I want to go home." She hugged her arms to her chest and cast her gaze away from his face.

"_What_?" Roxas sounded a great deal surprised. His feet touched the ground again. "What do you mean you wanna go home? We haven't even started!"

"My side hurts and my head doesn't feel too good…"

Roxas took a step towards her, head cocked to the side as he considered her. When he spoke, he sounded pretty distressed. "Well, I'm sure, I just…" He paused. "I brought you here to try and get your mind off that sorta stuff."

"Hard to forget about it when I'm about to _die!_" she snapped. She instantly regretted it, but didn't move to take it back or open her mouth to form an apology. Roxas didn't deserve her anger. He was only trying to help. But she _was _angry.

Roxas's annoyance quickly became anger, too. "But you aren't dead _yet! _And there's no use letting the fact you're eventually going to die keep you from having _fun!_" His words stung, because they were true, but she ignored it. "Besides, you aren't gonna die. 7's gonna fix you."

"He has no idea _how to, _Roxas," Xion argued.

"But he's working on it, and you can't give up so easily!" Roxas argued back. "You'll get nowhere if you don't try."

Xion looked at him, jaw shaking with her effort to keep her teeth clenched and her mouth shut. He was right. But she was angry, she was in pain, and she didn't feel like being in a good mood. It may seem dumb, and in a lot of ways it was, but she wanted to be upset.

Roxas held his hands out to her again.

"Try one more time for me? Please?"

She didn't move, except to hug herself tighter. It wouldn't be so hard to say alright, fine, _really. _It wouldn't be. It was just… the thought of giving in now seemed stupid. Letting go of the anger seemed stupid. Not to mention… would it even work this time? Was there really a chance she'd manage to get her feet off the ground?

She let out a huffy breath, a frustrated breath. Her stomach was roiling so much she feared she'd really be sick. The edges of her vision were warping a little, too. Was that tears? She didn't feel any tears, but she had never known frustration to bring this sort of reaction.

"Look, Roxas, I'm going back to my room," she said. Each word was a struggle. She took another deep breath, then turned on her heel to form a dark corridor.

The warping at the edges of her vision spread rapidly across the rest of her vision as she turned, and her knees buckled. The world swam in a blurry downwards spiral. Her shins hit the stone below her and sent a sharp pain through her legs.

She wasn't sure how long it was before Roxas was steadying her, just that it seemed like quite a while of agonizing pain. She assured him she was fine, even if she didn't feel fine, then opened her eyes to look up at him.

She couldn't see.

Horror gripped at her chest. Not only was her head still swimming and pounding, but her vision was still black. She closed her eyes and opened them again, just in case… Nothing.

"R-Roxas…?" Her voice was tremulous, scared.

"Yeah?"

"I- I can't see. I can't…" She trailed off, realizing after a few times of blinking rapidly that light was entering the blackness of what she could see. The light spun sickeningly, then solidified and melted into shapes. She took a few deep breaths, feeling very sick. But at least her vision returned.

"Xion?" Roxas asked. He must've noticed how she brought up a hand to shield her eyes from the light of the sun, though the light that seemed to radiate off of _him _wasn't much better. "Can you see now? You're squinting like you can."

"I can," she said, nodding. Her voice still trembled. "But I don't feel good at all, and that was terrifying."

"Here, let's get you to 7, maybe he'll know what went wrong." Roxas helped her to her feet—pulled her and dragged her to them himself, really. Her knees were horribly wobbly, and she was quite grateful when Roxas hooked an arm around her shoulder for support. Each step she took was uncertain, and she missed her footing and stumbled more than once, not that she ever fell, with Roxas holding her. She only wished the world would stop spinning.

_I'm tired of this. _The thought had never been this crisp before. _I'm tired of being like this. I'm tired of falling apart._


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter 16_**

All 7 could tell them was that it was an unfortunate but expected error. Her data was collapsing in on itself, and next time she'd be lucky if she got her vision back. Roxas angrily insisted there wouldn't be a next time, which didn't surprise Xion, only saddened her. This would all be a little easier to bear if Roxas would stop insisting everything was fine.

"By the way, I asked R to look at it," 7 told them. "She said she would look, but it's been three days, and nothing yet." The way he spoke sounded as if he didn't actually expect her to help.

"It's only been three days," Roxas said, as usual, trying to put a positive spin on it.

"True," 7 admitted. He turned to his computer, sounding a little more chipper. "She also taught me a neat trick—I can unscramble your data now, Xion. Or… some of it."

Xion ended up shifting to sit on the edge of the cot in an excitement she didn't want to admit she was feeling. "Really?" she asked.

7 nodded. "She taught me how to make the computer ignore the Invalid Code error."

"She can do that?" Per usual, Roxas was skeptical about this, even though he was rarely skeptical about anything else.

"It's apparently how some of the viruses work," 7 explained.

Xion waved that aside, jumping right to the important question. "So I can have my Keyblade back?"

"That's the first order of business!" 7 said, as he broke into a grin. "I have it all set to go, I just have to initiate the changes."

They went through the usual drill, and 7 unscrambled some of her other data, too. She felt a little better afterwards, though it was hard to tell, really, _what _he'd fixed. The stitch in her side was gone, but her head still swam a little when she stood to leave.

"Be careful, Xion, none of those fixes will be permanent," 7 warned, as she and Roxas reached the door. "Your data will eventually re-scramble itself again, and this unfortunately does nothing for the data that's collapsing. It will buy us some time, but that is all. I'll speak to R again. Perhaps she has something and forgot to contact me, or just lost track of time…"

He trailed off, rummaging around on his desk. Xion and Roxas took that as their cue to leave.

"Sorry flying didn't work out," Roxas sighed. He sent an apologetic smile at Xion as they stepped through the dark corridor. It took them to her room.

"It's okay," she told him. She looked hesitantly at him, swallowing. She supposed she probably _should _apologize or something for being so rude earlier… "I- I guess… we can try again tomorrow," she said. She made a silent promise to perhaps be a little less sour about it, too.

"Eh, I'm not so sure about that…" Roxas said. He scratched the back of his neck in a way that reminded Xion of Axel. "Saix said he's going to have to start giving me even _more _missions, between Replicas deserting and the rest being forbidden from leaving the castles. I… I don't know if we'll have time again…" He plopped down in the chair by her desk, letting out a short groan. "They're getting suspicious enough as is about me taking two hours after missions to return to HQ…"

"Oh…" Xion found herself sinking to her bed. And if she hadn't felt horrible enough about being so sour already…

Roxas cleared his throat. "Good news is all the missions will be solo. So you can come with." Even if it was good news, he only sound mildly thrilled about it. Xion felt the same.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"I know, it does stink, doesn't it?" Roxas asked. He put a smile on his face. "Especially since I was considering taking you to the beach! I visited one the other day on a mission, briefly. I think it was Sora's homeworld, actually, but wherever it was was _beautiful. _But… there's no sense going if you can only spend twenty minutes there…" The wry grimace and way he rolled his shoulders were supposed to make Xion think he was only pretending at being upset, but she saw through it. She opened her mouth to comfort him, but he was speaking before she had the chance. "I was hoping for a day off, especially since Axel said we're due for one."

That made Xion laugh. "Roxas, I think Axel saying that was more of an expression. To say how long it's been since you've had one. I don't it has anything to _actually _do with you getting one soon."

"Hmmm…" Roxas rubbed at his chin. "What if I do two days' worth of quota in one day?"

"Roxas, we've basically already done that!"

"Three days' worth, then!"

"I… I doubt it, Roxas," Xion said, through a smile and another bout of giggles.

"I think I can talk someone into it," Roxas replied. He folded his arms over his chest, flashing her a haughty smirk. His eyes glinted with laughter, though, and the way he shook suggested he was stifling it.

Xion sighed dramatically. "Alright, _fine,_" she relented, still beaming from ear to ear. "But I better come with you. There's no way you can do three days' of work on your own."

"Good thing 7 gave you your Keyblade back, huh?"

Xion found an even wider smile breaking across her face at the thought of wielding her Keyblade again. She summoned it, just to make sure, and it came. She smiled fondly at it, then banished it again. "Yeah," she said. _Let's just hope it stays this time._

**xxx**

"So, did you get a day off?" Xion asked. They were already in Wonderland, where the first of today's missions were. Axel was with them, at least for this mission, not that it was anything more than Heart collection.

"Nope," Roxas replied. He let out a sigh that was more than a groan, shoulders slumping at just the thought of how much work he had today. "Saix gave me double missions, since I could 'handle them'."

Xion muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _I told you so, _but was whistling innocently and not looking at him when Roxas shot a dirty glare her way. Before he could call her out, Axel clapped him on the back, laughing.

"That's what you get for working overtime!" he teased.

"Says the guy who has double missions today, too," Roxas countered, shoving Axel's arm off. Axel laughed, but the laugh quickly became a sigh much like Roxas's, and his shoulder's slumped a little as well. He'd asked Roxas this morning if he could have help with his other missions so they could be done quicker, though the idea was shot down as soon as Axel realized Roxas had double missions too.

"I think Saix is just mad at me," Axel said, reaching up to rub his neck.

"What for?" Xion asked. It was an innocent enough question.

Axel shrugged. "I don't know. The usual? I'm too in his business. I said something he didn't like. Stuck a frog in his bed."

Xion snickered a little. Roxas gaped.

"_Did _you?"

Xion didn't live with the rest of the Organization, so she didn't know Saix past the rumors, and didn't know how terribly he responded to pranks. The fact that Axel had _dared _was astonishing, and if he'd managed, then he'd gotten off easy with only double missions.

Axel laughed, but waved the accusation away. "Nah! Not recently." His brow furrowed. "Frogs are a lot harder to catch than I remember…"

Roxas gaped a moment more, but then Xion was shouting and drawing their attention to the batch of Heartless that had popped up. Roxas summoned his Keyblade to one hand, and a blast of Firaga to the other. Time to get to work.

**xxx**

"There, that's quota," Axel said, banishing his chakrams. "I should get going, so I can finish the rest of my missions before the sun sets today."

"Hang on," Roxas said. He pulled out his mission reports for today, flipping through them to find the one he was looking for. "I think there was one more mission in Wonderland—a giant Heartless?" He found the report, then nodded. "Yeah. A Novashadow. Since you're already here…"

"Alright, alright," Axel agreed. He didn't look happy. Roxas ignored him, though, tilting his report so Xion could look at it over his shoulder. The map marked where the Heartless was, and she was much better at reading maps than he was—he wasn't bad, of course, and seemed to have a map of most worlds programmed into his head, but it wasn't always easy to follow them. Besides, letting Xion read the maps made her happy.

"It's in the room with the giant table—or, the one that's giant when we're small," Xion said, after only a few seconds. Roxas nodded, tucking the mission reports back into his pocket. He started to say _let's go _or something, but Axel beat him to it.

"Alright, let's get this over with already," Axel said, already heading off. "I got other missions to do, and the sooner we're done here the better."

Xion and Roxas exchanged looks, both stifling giggles. They nodded, though, both having the same idea. They waited until they were sure they wouldn't ruin it by giggling, then called in unison:

"Thank you, Axel!"

Axel turned back to them, first surprise, then a smile breaking across his face. He rubbed at the back of his neck, looking at the ground, like he always did when he was flustered. Roxas and Xion exchanged identical grins.

"Aw, don't mention it," Axel said. "Someone's gotta look after you kids—but don't take too long! You've got extra missions too, Roxas."

"Right!"

They followed after Axel, then, and the Heartless was found in short order, seeing as they weren't far from the room where it hid. It appeared the moment they entered, emerging out of the ground like all Pureblood Heartless did. Being a Novashadow, it didn't look much different from a Neoshadow, just… bigger. And… redder.

Immediately the Novashadow dove into the ground, releasing a shockwave. Roxas brought up his Keyblade to block, like Axel raised his chakrams. It lessened the weight of the blow, but only that. Xion yelped from behind him.

He turned around to find her on the ground. He rushed to her side immediately, helping her up. They had a few seconds before the Novashadow would emerge, though the Novashadow was only a passing thought now. Roxas's attention was otherwise entirely on Xion.

"I'm fine," she gasped, though she staggered as Roxas helped her to her feet. She looked away from him immediately, but not quite soon enough—he still saw the pain that flared across her face. "I tried to block but my Keyblade wouldn't come."

"That's a problem," Axel called. Roxas and Xion both just shook their heads at him. There wasn't time to explain.

Roxas let go of Xion, and she staggered again. He caught her, earnestly trying to meet her eyes, earnestly trying to gauge whether or not she was okay. A stifled cry escaped her lips, but no more. If she was in pain—and it certainly looked like she was—she was trying very hard to hide it. Why?

"Are you _sure _you're okay?" Axel asked, moving over to them.

Xion pushed Roxas off. "Fine!" she snapped. She clutched her chest and hunched over. "I'm fine. We can't worry about it until the Heartless is dead, anyway."

"But—" Roxas began.

"No, she's right." Axel had turned around to face the Heartless. It'd popped back out of the ground "Can you manage a battle, Xion, or do you need to sit this out?"

"I'll be fine."


	17. Chapter 17

**_Chapter 17_**

Roxas doubted that Xion was really in any condition to fight, but there was no more time for arguing. He couldn't afford to spend the entire battle fussing about Xion, either, but that was easier said than done. She kept staggering or yelping in pain despite hardly moving, which made it very hard to concentrate. Roxas was very glad Axel _had _stayed. His own attacks were all shoddy, and he was too worried to try any harder.

Eventually, the Heartless was dead, and the battle over. It actually hadn't been that hard. Despite its size, the Novashadow was no worse than a regular Neoshadow, and more likely to hurt you on accident because of its size than on purpose. Blasts of fire from Axel and continuous streams of other magic from Xion had been more than enough, with or without Roxas's Keyblade in the mix.

"Are you alright?" Roxas asked immediately after the Heartless fell, rushing to Xion. He banished his Keyblade as he ran.

"Really dizzy," Xion replied. She looked about ready to sit down, but leaned against the nearby wall instead. "And… in a lot of pain."

"You probably shouldn't have fought," Axel said. He stared down at Xion, and though he sounded more worried than disapproving, Roxas still didn't like the look. His tone had too much of a bite to it, as well.

Xion straightened to her full height, even as her shoulders shook with the effort. "I wasn't going to just _sit _on the _sidelines!_ I want to- I… _mmgh!_" She bit her lip, her eyes scrunched, her breaths each became more labored. She swayed where she stood.

"Xion!" Roxas reached out to steady her, but was pushed away.

"You should go back to C.O.," Axel said. His tone still had that bite to it. "Sleep it off, or something. You'll be no use to Roxas in that state."

Xion shook her head violently. "No, no, it's—"

"Axel's right." It killed Roxas to break her off, to say that. "I'm sorry. If this were any other day, if I had less missions, I wouldn't be worried, but…" He didn't want to admit how little he'd contributed to that battle, though it was likely obvious, more than obvious.

Xion sighed deeply. "Alright." The word trembled as it left her lips. "I'll go. I'm going." She pushed away from the wall, starting forward, to where she could form a dark corridor.

"I'll buy you ice cream as soon as I'm done," Roxas promised.

A mumbled _thanks _was his only acknowledgement, then Xion was through a dark corridor and gone. Axel turned to Roxas.

"You buying me ice cream?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Well, if you're done with _your _missions by then, then I guess, yeah. I can."

Axel broke into a grin.

"Then I better get going. See ya!"

"Bye."

Axel formed a dark corridor around himself, then he was gone too.

Roxas sighed, and dug his mission reports back out of his pocket to see what was next. Today was going to be a very long day.

**xxx**

Xion was in for a sight when she returned to Castle Oblivion. More Replicas than she'd ever seen were there, all rushing in and out of the Main Room. Many were lying on various of the couches—all injured, she realized after a moment. She then realized that she had not gone immediately to 7, like would've been smart, and had not gone to her room, like she'd been intending too. That was strange. Perhaps she hadn't been thinking hard enough about returning to her room when she formed the dark corridor…

"Xion?"

She looked up at the sound of her name. It was a Vexen who'd called, from where he stood by one of the couches. A Marluxia lay on the couch, face contorted with pain.

"It's good to see you're safe," the Vexen continued. She started over to join him—them—without really thinking about it. "I was worried, but, there wasn't time to—Tulip, stay _still _or you're going to make it worse!" His attention fell on the squirming Marluxia instantly. 7. The Vexen was 7.

Xion was a little worried about not realizing that right away, though little else was to be expected with how foggy her head was. She watched as 7 held the Marluxia down and pumped a Curaga through him, then swallowed what she was going to say. As much as she wanted to tell 7 about how horrible she felt right now, it didn't feel like the time.

"What happened?" she asked, instead.

7 looked up at her. He opened his mouth, then shook his head. "I'd- I'd love to answer, Xion, but I should get going. Tulip isn't the only one who's been hurt. And with Lotus and I the only Medics over here…" He started to walk off, then paused and studied her closely. "Are you… are you feeling okay?"

"I…" She clasped her right arm in her left hand. "No. I was on missions with Roxas and took a pretty big hit from a Heartless. I- I hurt all over." She swallowed, running her hand up and down her arm, rubbing at her skin through the cloak. "Plus I'm a little dizzy. But- I don't think you can do anything about that right now."

7 shook his head. "You're right. I wish I could, but there are unfortunately more immediately serious injuries to deal with." He turned to go again, but stopped again. "Ah, I suppose—" He tossed up a Cura for her. "Did that help any?"

Xion shrugged. "I guess a little, with the pain." She still hurt, though. She still hurt quite a bit. The Cura had only taken the edge off of it.

"Alright. I'm sorry I can't do any more." 7 left then, running more than walking off.

"Do you still want to know what happened?"

Xion turned, a bit surprised, to the Marluxia. He'd sat up, and while he looked like he was in less pain than before, he didn't look good. He was clutching his side, too, and now Xion saw the dark spot of blood that stained his cloak.

"I…" She stood like a deer in the headlights, swallowing hard. He wasn't one of the people who was supposed to know about her existing, but he didn't seem interested in that at all.

"Saix started a slaughter," the Marluxia replied, though she had not yet told him she wanted to know. "He gathered all the Replicas, declared that anyone not completely loyal to him as traitors, and started attacking. I don't even think he was paying attention to who he killed, or where their loyalties were."

Xion felt herself shiver, though she couldn't exactly say the news surprised her. She slowly lowered herself into the nearby chair, letting out a long breath. A part of her wondered if there was more reason to Axel and Roxas having double missions than just Saix being annoyed with them.

The Marluxia—Tulip—sighed too, pulling at the tear in his cloak. "Can't exactly say here's safer, but it was the only place we could think of to go," he continued.

"Don't know how here's safer with Riku around," Xion agreed.

Tulip slowly looked up at her. "I… I was talking about how I'm not sure the Organization wouldn't eventually find us here…. But, I suppose, Riku is something of a problem, too. The rumors are true, then?"

Xion nodded. "I've seen him myself."

"I'm not sure if I'd call him a _threat, _though," another Vexen said, coming to lean against the cough Tulip sat on. She didn't recognize him. "I mean, he's been here for months already, and I've only seen him attack Larxenes. Not that I can really complain about that—it's much quieter around here without them."

Xion clenched her hands together, tight enough to make her fingers hurt. "But he doesn't have any _right _to be killing them!" she protested.

The Vexen turned to her, and merely shrugged. "What's it matter? Besides, telling him to stop would be like attempting to stop a charging bull. Let him do what he wants, so long as it doesn't hurt the rest of us." He frowned at her, then, as if really realizing she was there. "Ah, who are you?"

"Um." She swallowed, thickly. "My- my name is Xion." That wouldn't be enough, based on the look Vexen was giving, so she added: "I'm… one of the Experiments." She wondered if she could've gotten away with saying who she really was. They were refugees, just like her, weren't they?

_But not refugees whose data is so unstable they were slated for Deactivation the moment they were created, _she reminded herself. Her body seemed to ache twice as much at the thought.

The Vexen considered her, then shrugged. "I didn't know Master Vexen ever made one your age, but I suppose I've never seen all of them, either."

"I was one of his last projects," Xion continued, hoping to add more credibility to the lie. "Haven't really left Castle Oblivion, either."

"And smart of you," the Vexen said. "I heard Saix has killed all the other Experiments. If staying here has kept you out of his radar for this long, though, perhaps it will continue to do so." The Vexen patted the back of the couch, then started off, looking rather like he was starting to figure out a complicated problem. He didn't even say goodbye.

"Don't worry about him," Tulip told Xion, noticing the look she was giving the retreating Vexen. "He's always like—"

Before Tulip could finish, a dark corridor opened in the center of the room. It closed immediately, leaving another Marluxia in its place. The Marluxia was mid-swing of his scythe, and once he realized where he was, he cried out and finished the swing, sending the blade of his scythe into the ground. When he let go, it stayed put.

"WHO PULLED ME AWAY!?" he screamed, turning around frantically. "WHO FORMED THAT CORRIDOR? I was _right up _at Saix I could've sliced him in half!"

Another corridor formed, this one leaving a Zexion when it closed. "You were going to get yourself killed, Snapdragon," he scolded.

"And _better for it!_" the Marluxia—Snapdragon—replied, with an angry swing of his arm. He put his hand on his scythe again, whether to banish it or pick it back up, Xion was not sure. She was on the edge of her seat as she watched, heart pounding, the pain in her bones momentarily forgotten.

"What would've happened if you managed to kill Saix, anyway?" the Zexion asked. He hardly blinked at Snapdragon's shouting. "What would happen to the Program, then? I can't imagine that—"

The Zexion collapsed.

Xion felt her heart clench, even though she didn't even know the Replica. The entire room seemed to freeze, except Snapdragon, who let go of his scythe and took a hesitant step towards the fallen Zexion. A Vexen was the next to move—Xion had no idea which one—falling to a kneel beside the Zexion.

"Deactivated," he said, after an eternity of silence. "He's… He's been De- Deactivated."

The word made Xion shiver. Air didn't want to enter or leave her lungs. _Deactivated? _Just like that? Had it always been that easy? And, the more chilling question: _why? _She understood that Saix was crazy and apparently killing Replicas, but was he really Deactivating the ones he couldn't kill, too?

"_Who?_" Snapdragon demanded, the question exploding from him with an anger that seemed to shake the room. "_Who _did it!? Who would even—?"

"It could've been Saix," a Vexen called. Xion did not see from where he spoke, only that he was not the Vexen next to the Deactivated Zexion.

"No, it would've been someone working for him." Another voice. Another Vexen.

"As long as it was done under Saix's orders, what does it matter?"

"But why _him?_" It was a Marluxia who asked this question, and Xion didn't think it was Snapdragon, but she couldn't see the Marluxia who had actually spoken.

"He could've known something, something that Saix didn't want getting out."

"If it even was Saix who Deactivated him."

"Well, enough of the whys and hows!" It was definitely Snapdragon who spoke this time. He banished his scythe, then bent down to pick the Zexion up. "Let's at least get him somewhere, so he's not lying sprawled in the middle of the floor."

"Xion."

Xion jumped at the feel of a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed when she saw it was 7.

"I got a call from Amaryllis and he told me to meet me him in, well, what's going to be my new room," he said. "I might as well show you the way there while I'm at it, and…" He trailed off, but he didn't need to finish for Xion to know how that would end. _And we can take a look at your data_.

"Right," she answered, getting to her feet. It took her a moment to realize what 7 meant by his _new room. _Finally she put it together, though. Whatever Saix had done today, it had forced what looked like half the Replica Program to be fugitives, fugitives that had run here, and 7 was one of them. Of course he'd need a new place to stay, just like everyone else.

When they were out of earshot of, well, most everyone, she asked: "Is- Is Deactivating someone really that easy?"

"Well… yes." 7 said, very slowly. His brow furrowed deeply. "So long as you have the passwords, yes."

Xion gulped. "So… anyone could Deactivate me at any moment?"

7 sent her a sideways look. "_That _would require them to know you exist…"

That news was a little comforting, a _little, _but not by much. There was too much else about this whole thing that made her skin crawl. Too much for her to be happy that she alone was safe.

"But, aren't _you _worried about someone deactivating you?" Xion asked, looking earnestly up at him. "Or all of you? Couldn't Saix just shut all of you off?" She couldn't say why the thought terrified her so much—she knew very few of these people—but perhaps it was just the fact it _could _be done.

"Yes." 7 didn't hesitate before answering. "But he hasn't yet, and we have to hope he never thinks to do it."

"But what about that Zexion?"

7 paused for a second, then remembered himself and started walking again. "I'm not so sure that was Saix—he would've been too busy cleaning up after the slaughter he started, plus he doesn't even know how to work the Program. Yes, it could've been someone under his command, but it could've just as easily _not _have been…" 7 smiled a smile that reminded Xion quite a bit of R. Knowing, and rather pleased with himself. "Besides, based on Saix's earlier actions, he seems more likely to come and _kill _whoever he's worried about, not deactivate them."

"Right…"

Now 7's smile was entirely sympathetic, and entirely him. "It's not comforting, I know, but there's nothing we can do about it, really. Now, just a bit further, and we'll reach my new room, and then we'll find out why Amaryllis was in such a panic."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

_Emergency Protocol 3…_

Alpha's hands shook as he entered the commands on the keyboard. Having to hack his way into the Program from Castle Oblivion was to be expected, but it did make him hesitate his actions for a second. Just a second. Then he remembered the sneer on Theta's face, how Delta said this was necessary…

Handing over the Program to Saix was necessary? Three months down the line and surely Delta would understand how _horrible _Saix was to the Program. There was nothing good that could come of this.

But… perhaps Emergency Protocol 3 _was _too far—no. Maybe it was bitter of him, maybe it was wrong, but as he took a deep breath and pressed another Cure into his bleeding side (he'd have to get Repaired, just not now), he was certain. He was going to do it. He hadn't made it out of that battle alive for nothing, and after what Theta had done…

The thought of Theta sent shivers up and down his spine. Had that blow been killing? Alpha prayed to whatever deity might exist that it hadn't been, though it wouldn't matter in a few minutes. And Delta—he must've gotten out of the fray, too.

_How could giving the Program to Saix be a good thing, when he gathered all the Replicas just to slaughter them?_

Saix had said only the disloyal ones would be slayed, except Alpha knew better. Besides, perhaps, 37, Saix wouldn't care which Replicas he killed. If one that was loyal to him got shot down in the heat of battle, he wouldn't consider it a loss. He wouldn't consider any of them a loss.

_And that's why I have to do this._

Alpha pulled up the Program, then further navigated to the Replica Archive. Emergency Protocols _all _had a button that would initiate each of them in only one click, but they unfortunately required a password. If it was the password used for the rest of the Program, Alpha was out of luck, seeing as he didn't know that one since it'd been changed, and hacking into the Emergency Protocols would be impossible. If there was an override password—and there probably was—Alpha didn't know it, either. That was no surprise, though, considering his relationship with Master Vexen. There would have been no time for him to have been entrusted the passwords, with how he'd distanced himself from the man, and he doubted Master Vexen had even _trusted _him enough to give them to him, anyway.

_What's done is done, _Alpha reminded himself. _And this way will work just as well._

He pulled up the Zexions first, being bitter again. Obviously he couldn't start with himself, so he pulled up Beta's Code instead. A flashing red and error beep made his heart seize. Beta was dead. Beta was dead, and he probably wasn't the only one to have fallen.

Alpha closed his eyes for a brief moment, then pulled up—

"What are you _doing?_"

His head shot up at the sound of the voice—Delta's voice. His heart leapt to his throat, and without hesitating, he skipped Gamma's profile and pulled up Delta's instead.

"Emergency Protocol 3," Alpha replied, hastily typing the string of commands into Delta's code. Delta's eyes went wide with horror.

"Alpha, I know you are upset, but that is certainly too far!" He staggered into the room with a limp—Alpha didn't spare more than a glance at his marred leg. There wasn't time.

"Something needs to be done!" Alpha's finger hovered over the _Enter _key. Hitting it would initiate the commands and Deactivate Delta. Ideally, if he could access the button to initiate Emergency Protocol 3, hitting it would Deactivate all the Replicas at once. He couldn't access the button, so he'd have to do this one Replica at a time.

"Something perhaps less drastic, _yes,_" Delta shouted, dragging himself over to the desk where Alpha stood.

"Less drastic?" Alpha barked a short, bitter, _hysteric _laughter. "We both just escaped a slaughterhouse! Saix is going to kill all of us, and you say mass Deactivating everyone is _drastic?_" He swallowed the next laugh, knowing he was nearing hysterics, knowing it would not help his case if he succumbed to them. "Besides, these Protocols were made specifically for this situation, so Saix, i.e., _Xemnas _would not get his hands on the Program."

Delta laughed back, very near to the desk, very near to Alpha now. "I never knew you cared about what Master Vexen would've wanted!"

Alpha grimaced and bit his tongue. Why did that suggestion upset him so much? It must've been the blood-loss. Certainly, blood-loss could explain all of his hysterics, never mind being stabbed in the back (literally) by his two closest friends, never mind being in a war zone.

"Regardless of what he wanted, Saix certainly is not someone who should have the Program," Alpha retorted. He could hit the _Enter _key now. He should hit it now, before Delta could drag himself one step closer and wrench him away from the computer.

"And who gave you the right to determine that? It certainly wasn't Master Vexen—you hated him!"

Why did Delta's taunts about Master Vexen sting so deeply? It _must _have been the blood-loss.

"You know as well as I do that how he treated us Zexions was wrong," Alpha said.

"Wrong is a matter of perspective." Delta was close enough to reach Alpha now, close enough to grab him. "Now please, Alpha, step away from the computer."

Alpha shook his head. _Enter. _He should hit _Enter! _"Saix shouldn't have the Program, and if this is how I have to take it from him, then so be it!"

He moved to hit the key, and Delta lunged at him. A step back and a hastily cast shield spell sent Delta flying past him, though Delta recovered quickly. Delta turned around and prepared for another lunge. Heart hammering, Alpha slammed the _Enter _key.

Delta collapsed.

Alpha buried his face in his hands, a hiccup in his throat. That made two friends as good as dead by his hand, and at least another hundred Replicas to go.

It was torture, but he forced his fingers back to the keyboard, forced himself to pull up Gamma's Code and enter the string of commands to deactivate the Replica. Gamma was one of the one's that had been closer to Master Vexen, and admittedly, Alpha hadn't seen him since Vexen's death. Perhaps he had deserted entirely…

No Replica could be spared. Emergency Protocol 3 would've Deactivated all of them, regardless of where they were and where their loyalties lay. To keep the Program out of Xemnas's hands, it was a necessary, though unfortunate, sacrifice.

Delta had already been Deactivated, so Epsilon was next, then Zeta, then… He forced himself not think about it and just go through the motions, but even that was hard. Perhaps Delta had been right. Who had given him the right to do this? Who was he to Deactivate all of them, without consulting anyone else?

He did it anyway, hands trembling, sobs shaking his body. Each _Enter _made the tears fall harder, each time he pulled up a new Code made him doubt himself more. Who was he, really, to do this? What right did he have? And it wasn't even really a desire to keep the Program from Saix that drove him, but a bitterness, a bitterness at being betrayed, at being in this situation. A war—they were in a war, and he needed to get them all out of it.

_"You put too much weight on your shoulders, Alpha," _the voice was like a whisper, and made Alpha jump right out of his skin. He spun around, eyes searching the room for ghosts, only to realize the voice was a memory. Only a memory of Master Vexen. The words should've comforted him, but they only made him more bitter, only made him cry harder.

Theta was next, and a flash of red and an angry beep from the computer confirmed Alpha's earlier doubts. The blow he had dealt to his friend _had _been fatal after all. If he hadn't already been in hysterics, he certainly was now.

There were only two more Zexions to go. Alpha entered the commands into Iota's Code with painstaking slowness, doubting himself more and more with every keystroke. The ghosts that played on repeat in his head didn't help.

_You put too much weight on your shoulders—_who was he to decide this for the Program, to carry the weight of its future alone? A hero? No. He was no hero. He should not be doing this, either, but his fingers typed on.

_Who gave you the right?—_why should he decide this? Was it even the right answer? Were there any right answers in war? Tears clouded his vision, Delta's labored but firm words reverberating in his mind. _Something should be done, but perhaps something less drastic!_

It'd been a mistake, Alpha realized, as he hit _Enter _to Deactivate Kappa, the last of the Zexions. It'd been a mistake. He'd had no right. Perhaps there was a reason why Master Vexen had never entrusted him the override passwords for the Emergency Protocols, a reason besides how desperately he'd avoided the man.

_But the deed has been done, and there's no way to take it back, _he thought. The words were not a comfort.

Taking great heaves of breath, between sobs and devastation and the wound in his side reaching critical, Alpha pulled up his own Code. He'd made it through all the other Zexions. There was no reason he should skip himself.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, finger above the _Enter _key, too scared to press it. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, crying, bleeding, thinking about how much he was a coward and how he deserved it, he deserved to go down too. If not because he was a monster, then because a captain goes down with his ship. Because he had no right to do what he did, and now had no right to live. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, caught between terror and self-loathing, he just knew he'd come up with more than twenty reasons to hit the button when Amaryllis entered the room.

"Alpha! Thank goodness you made it out," Amaryllis said. Then he registered Delta in the corner, and Alpha's wide eyed stare with his hand hovering over the keyboard. Concern washed over his features. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

It all came out in a rush, Alpha's mouth moving before he realized it, telling Amaryllis what he had done and what he was about to do, and how he'd had no right and how he deserved it. In the heat of moment, he almost hit the button, too. But Amaryllis grabbed him and dragged him away from the computer.

"Listen, I can't say what you did was right, or smart, but I know we need you if we intend to survive another day," Amaryllis said. His grip on Alpha's arm was so tight Alpha feared his bones might snap. "The Rebellion is no longer an idea, it is happening, and you will want to see it through."

"Of- Of course," Alpha replied, in the straightest voice he could manage, despite the hysterics. _You put too much weight on your shoulders, Alpha—_but he would not cry, not anymore. He bit his lip to keep any further sobs in, and blocked Master Vexen's voice from his mind.

"Let's get you Repaired," Amaryllis said, dragging Alpha off. "7 and Lotus both made it over here, so we at least have a few Medics on our side. And plenty more survived. Everything will be fine, Alpha. We'll get through this."


	19. Chapter 19

**_Chapter 19_**

The layout of 7's new room surprised Xion a little, even though it should not have. There was a small desk containing only a computer on either side of the room, each desk immediately next to a cot. Nothing else. Well, nothing else besides a Zexion sitting on one of the cots and a Marluxia standing next to him—the Marluxia whom she assumed was Amaryllis.

"Alpha!" 7 exclaimed, immediately after seeing the Zexion. "I'm glad you're alright. Another Zexion was Deactivated, and—"

What _sounded _like a stifled sob escaped from the Zexion, from Alpha. Xion's eyes narrowed, and so did 7's, especially when Amaryllis gripped Alpha's shoulder and said:

"What's done is done."

7 opened his mouth, paused, then turned to Xion for a second, though he didn't seem keen on taking his eyes off of Alpha. "Xion," he said. "Would you mind stepping outside? This, ah…" He swallowed. "Please."

Xion nodded and did as told, though she didn't go far. Someone closed the door, she assumed it was 7, but that only muffled their voices, especially when she had her ear pressed against the door. She knew eavesdropping wasn't _good, _but… There was something about Alpha she wanted to know.

"Which one was it?" Alpha asked. His voice seemed to tremble. Xion thought she heard Amaryllis groan.

"I believe it was Iota," 7 answered, "though I am nowhere near certain. Is everything…" he began, but trailed off.

"We can try to Reactivate him, if you want," Amaryllis said.

"I'm not sure if I can hack myself in a second time." The hitch in Alpha's voice was even worse now. Xion pressed her ear harder against the door, wondering briefly what it was even made of. It didn't feel like wood. None of the walls in this castle felt like _any _normal material.

"What are you two…?" 7 began, and he did not finish this question, either. This time, though, was because Amaryllis interrupted, a sting in his voice.

"I found him about ready to Deactivate himself! He'd Deactivated all the other—"

"I should've! I deactivated them, and I should've deactivated myself too!" Alpha's shout made Xion jump a little. But once her heart stopped racing from the initial shock of it, she scowled. She hadn't wanted to suspect this, nor was she happy to have her suspicions confirmed.

Amaryllis's response was stern, if not angry. "_Enough _of that, Alpha! Now that this Rebellion is in motion, we're going to need your help and you know it, so stop _whining_."

Xion pulled her ear away from the door, though not her hands. He'd Deactivated all the other Zexions. He'd _Deactivated _all the other _Zexions. _Her hands curled into fists, but she forced herself not to drive them into the door. And he was a part of the Rebellion, too? The idea of the Rebellion had always made her a little uneasy, especially since Riku seemed to be a part of it, but this made her disgusted.

_He's as bad as Riku! Deactivating all the other Zexions—killing all the Larxenes! And all for petty reasons. _The anger and the thought made her breath quicken, and it wasn't long before she felt lightheaded. _Who gave either of them the _right_!? _She leaned against the wall behind her, willing her knees to not buckle beneath her. _Who- who _gave _them—_

It seemed much quicker than it actually was when 7 opened the door again and Alpha and Amaryllis emerged. Alpha looked like he had a little more color to him, and seemed more composed, though Amaryllis watched him like a hound. Xion sent a displeased glare at him, too. He didn't appear to notice.

"Alright, Xion, sorry about that." 7 waved her in, and gestured to cot next to the computer on the far wall. "Just sit down here, and I'll start going through your data. Anything specific today?"

She explained about losing her Keyblade again, and getting hit by the Heartless, about how she'd been woozy and in pain ever since. It came out easily. There was something about 7, some vibe he gave off, that made it easy to relax. She realized just how exhausted she was now, too, and had to prop her head on her hands so it wouldn't droop.

"No one thought to check you for _physical _injuries?" 7 asked. He seemed surprised.

Xion straightened for a second, his question taking her by just as much surprise. "Well, I think Roxas Cured me, and I know you did, but the pain hasn't exactly stopped, and it wouldn't explain the wooziness," she said. Her words were all slower than she wanted them to be.

"It could," 7 said. She didn't have the energy to send a questioning glance up to him. "But, I ran a scan of you, and there's no injuries, so we should be thankful for that. I'm not so sure the Repair Program would've worked on you, anyway, now that I think about it."

"Why not?"

"It would need a source data to Repair you, and given what state _your _data is in…"

He needn't say any more.

"Did the Cura I cast on you earlier help?" he asked after a moment.

Xion shrugged. "I don't think it did."

She felt his hand on her shoulder then, followed by powerful Cure magic coursing through her veins. She took a deep breath, sad to admit that it really didn't make her feel any better. She didn't even feel less tired.

"Better?"

"Not really."

7 sighed and pulled his hand away. "It was worth a shot," he said, quietly, turning to the computer. She was too busy thinking about how much she'd like a nap about now to be sure how long he sat and typed at it. She wasn't even that surprised when it beeped—the error noise was familiar enough. It was rare one of these sessions happened without it.

It was 7's following pause that caught her attention. The way his breath caught and he stumbled a step backwards. She looked up at him, brows creased with worry, hands falling into her lap.

"I'm locked out," 7 said, before she could ask. He didn't sound surprised, but horror seemed to wash over him in waves, and he leaned against the desk as if to support himself.

Xion sat upright, weariness momentarily forgotten. "You can't fix me?" she demanded. She was ashamed to realize some of Roxas's brashness leaked into her tone, into her attitude.

"Well… I… at the moment…"

7's words weren't exactly comforting. He was avoiding the question, and when his head hung as low as it did, it was hard to believe any reassuring thing he might have said.

"I'm going to die."

Xion slumped over, weariness leaking back into her bones, coming back with twice the strength, it seemed. Tears burned behind her eyes, but did not fall.

"Xion, _please, _do not speak like that. You certainly aren't going to die any time soon, and you aren't going to die at all if I have any say in it." 7's voice shook, but it was firm, and it reminded her much of the way Roxas spoke of her dying. Like he didn't want to admit it would happen. Like the mere thought of it was too much to bear.

_And they aren't the ones dying… _Xion thought. It made her sick to her stomach. It made her blood writhe.

"Even if you _did _know how to fix me—" she ground each syllable out with care, with malice, each bit and bite of her distress and bitterness fed into them "—you couldn't! You're locked out of—"

"It will be _fine!_" 7 enunciated each word firmly, eyes flaring with anger, with something that looked remarkably like panic. His fingers twitched and his shoulders were tense. "I'm- I'm _sure _R can hack me back in. Here. Watch." He fumblingly reached for a walkie-talkie. "R? Can you get me the passwords to the Program?"

"No."

R's voice was crisp, though distorted slightly. Xion still didn't understand why the volume on 7's walkie-talkie was as high as it was, high enough for her to hear, too. Unless this time it'd been intentional.

"R…" 7 began.

"I'm not picking sides on this Rebellion."

7 muttered something, angrily, but it was something Xion could not make out. Then he cleared his throat and addressed R. "It's not for the Rebellion. It's so I can fix Xion."

"I wouldn't bother if it's just to fix scrambled data, 7."

"But when I have a full cure?"

Xion scoffed. At the rate 7 was going now, she'd be dead before he could manage to come up with one. What did it matter? The tears behind her eyes burned harder, but still did not fall.

"I'll give you the passwords then, sure," R said. It was not as much of a relief as a should've been. "Or we can always install your cure from _my _comp—"

"Not on my life," 7 interrupted.

Xion raised her eyebrows, intrigued, though she felt terrible.

"Don't trust me?" R asked.

"I won't have you giving Xion a virus in fixing her, R."

"Fine, fine."

R was laughing, though.

Xion only sniffed. Her bones throbbed. Would the pain be this bad every day, or was today an exception? She wasn't sure she could put up with this every day.

"Speaking of…" Xion looked up, but 7 was not talking to her. "Have you had any thoughts about Xion's condition?"

"Ah…." There was a long pause after that sigh, on R's end. "No. I haven't had the chance to look at it much, yet." There was another pause. "I'll look harder."

"Thank you." 7 put the walkie-talkie down.

Xion fixed her eyes on the ground. "Fat load of good it'll do," she muttered.

"Don't be ungrateful," 7 scolded. "R is a genius, if one who is generally only interested in putting her talents towards her own gain. Her opinions will be extremely valuable."

"What good will it be if you can't fix me?"

"She promised to get us in so we could."

Xion sniffed again, then got to her feet. She hugged her arm to her chest, wishing her muscles didn't ache so when she moved. "Whatever," she mumbled. She walked out of 7's room.

7 called after her, but she didn't stay around to hear it. She formed a corridor around herself the moment she was in the hallway. Maybe if she took a nap, the pain would be gone when she woke up.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Chapter 20_**

Roxas knew his shoulders sagged and his feet dragged as he made his way through Twilight Town, and tried to straighten himself out, but he was _beat _from all the work he'd had. He took deep breaths, attempting to relish in the calming vibe that Twilight Town gave off—it was easier said than done. He'd only had to walk so far to the ice cream shop because he couldn't form a dark corridor immediately in the shopping district. That'd scare too many people.

As he turned the final corner into the shopping district, he noticed a set of familiar faces. His step quickened without him realizing it, and while the weariness didn't completely vanish from him, it was much easier to ignore now. Joseph spotted him before long and waved, causing 29 to pause.

"Nice running into you here," Roxas said. He smiled at Joseph, who returned the smile likewise. 29 smiled at him as well, but it was… troubled. Roxas was about to ask when 29 masked the troubled smile with what looked rather like a genuine one—had Roxas not seen 29's earlier uneasy glance, he doubted he would've known the difference.

"Nice to see you, Roxas," 29 said. "Would you mind doing me a favor and watching Joseph for a bit? I need to check Castle Oblivion."

"What's wrong with Castle Oblivion?"

"I…" 29 sent an anxious look at Joseph. "Hopefully, nothing. Will watching Joseph be a problem? It shouldn't take much more than ten minutes."

Roxas shrugged. "I guess it won't be a problem."

"Thank you." 29 formed a dark corridor around himself immediately. Roxas worriedly scanned the area, but it appeared no one had been close enough to see, thankfully. 29 must be in a state if he wasn't cautious enough to use a dark corridor where he would less likely be spotted.

"I dunno what's wrong with Castle Oblivion, either. Sorry, Roxas."

Roxas looked down at Joseph, surprised. Before he could ask, Joseph laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I mean, _come on, _Roxas, of course I noticed!" he said. "29 may be good at keeping secrets, but not keeping them for five straight hours of me wearing him down!" Then Joseph's face darkened, though only a little. "He was pretty upset, too, so it was easier than usual to make him crack."

Roxas stared at Joseph. Raised his eyebrows. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, considering who he was talking to. And, better yet, maybe he could get some questions answered, depending on how much Joseph knew.

"Do you have _any _idea what's going on?" he asked.

Joseph shrugged. "Just that it's incredibly dangerous and might involve the World that Never Was, along with Castle Oblivion. That's all, really." The boy scratched at his head. "I mean, I know I said 29 'cracked', but by that I really only meant he cracked enough to tell me something bad was happening and that's why we were in Twilight Town, not enough for him to tell me _what _was going on."

"Right…"

Roxas pressed a knuckle to his mouth and looked at the ground. It involved the World that Never Was, as well? That couldn't mean… But, of course, knowing Saix… All these extra missions were only a cover up, weren't they?

Joseph put his hands on his hips and bent down a little, looking up so he could look Roxas in the eye. The way he moved made his bangs flop against his face—they were longer than Roxas had seen them in a while, and Joseph looked like Zexion more now than ever. Minus the cheery disposition, anyway.

"Have you got an idea?" Joseph asked, voice chipper for such a serious question. "I mean, you're actually a part of the Organization, and all."

"Sorry." Roxas shook his head. "I was on missions until just now. Saix gave me twice the workload today."

Joseph studied him a moment, but either lost interest or decided it didn't matter before long. He straightened, smiling openly up at Roxas. "You here for ice cream then, as a treat? Here!"

Joseph was heading to the ice cream stall at a run before Roxas really realized it, and he followed as quickly as possible. Joseph was already slapping two WINNER sticks on the counter when Roxas caught up to him. It was a wonder how he had so many…

"Two sea-salts for me and a friend, please!" Joseph told the ice cream lady, who took his WINNER sticks without a question, eyes crinkling fondly at the sight of him. He looked up at Roxas. "Oh, unless you don't want sea-salt…"

"Sea-salt's fine."

The ice cream was handed over to them, and Roxas received a fond smile from the ice cream lady as well.

"Did you want one for Xion?" Joseph asked, as they started walking away.

Roxas missed a step. He'd forgotten he'd promised Xion ice cream this morning, though it felt less like this morning and more like an eternity ago. He started to wish that 29 would return, soon, so he could go check on her.

But, for now:

"No, that's fine," he told Joseph. "It would've melted before I could've gotten it to her, unless I took it now. I'll pick one up before I go see her."

Joseph nodded aggressively. "Good point," he agreed, around a mouthful of ice cream. Roxas wasn't sure where they were heading, exactly, but Joseph paused once they were out of the immediate area of the shopping district—where 29 had left them, Roxas realized, after a second.

"Hey." Joseph nudged him in the ribs. After the initial glance up at Roxas, though, his attention remained fixed on his ice cream. "You seen either Raymond or Patrick lately, by any chance? I- I mean, I get Raymond being mad about us arguing but he's usually never this mad this long and even if his headaches did become more of an issue…. I should've at least heard from him, and I haven't seen Patrick since 29 moved me to Castle Oblivion, either, and that's pretty weird…."

The ice cream in Roxas's mouth suddenly tasted more salty than it did sweet, and he swallowed hard, trying not to gag on it. He had to swallow twice more before he could manage to speak. "Well, uh, no. I haven't."

It wasn't a lie.

Joseph considered him for a bit, chewing on a bite of ice cream. If he noticed that Roxas was hiding something, he didn't show it. "Any idea why 29 won't let me back to the World that Never Was?" he asked. Roxas grimaced, second guessing his earlier judgment about Joseph not catching on.

Roxas licked his lips. "No… but I don't blame him." The lie came easier this time. He ruffled Joseph's hair. "The Organization's not a place for kids."

"_You're_ a kid," Joseph replied, without missing a beat.

Roxas blinked a few times.

He wouldn't necessarily consider himself a kid, but he _was _only two years older than Joseph, when it came down to it. Perhaps the Organization wasn't really a place for him either.

"Well… I don't exactly have a choice," he told Joseph.

"And? Neither do I."

Roxas sighed. "Listen." He bent down so he was on eye level with Joseph, not that he had to bend down far, seeing as Joseph was only slightly shorter than him. In fact, it was almost easier to kneel and be a little under Joseph's eye level. "If you wanted to go anywhere, I'm sure 29 would be more than glad to take you, regardless of the Organization—besides, at the moment, I'm not so sure if anyone would really miss you."

Joseph lowered his head. "I just want to see my friends again…."

Roxas felt his throat hitch. He straightened, looking away from Joseph, just in case he couldn't mask his grief well enough. Thankfully, 29 returned then, so he wouldn't have to explain himself.

"Well, Castle Oblivion seems alright," 29 said. Then he frowned at Joseph. "Haven't you already had three ice creams?"

Joseph only shrugged and smiled.

29 sighed. He didn't argue any further.

"Did you see Xion?" Roxas asked. He wasn't _exactly _worried about her, seeing as Castle Oblivion was apparently safe, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Besides, he should still be worried—just about her condition, not about whether she was in any danger.

29 shook his head. "Sorry. But Tulip said he had. I'm sure she's fine."

Roxas wasn't sure who Tulip was, but decided not to ask about it. After picking up an ice cream for Xion, he, Joseph, and 29 all returned to Castle Oblivion together, seeing as it was silly to use more than one dark corridor. They returned to the Main Room.

"Hey 29, guess what's tomorrow?" Joseph piped. He continued before 29 could even open his mouth. "My birthday! I'll be able to see Raymond and Patrick, right?"

Roxas turned to 29, wondering how he would answer. He found he felt very sorry for 29, for being in this position. It was also rather admirable, that 29 had yet to crack under the pressure of it. Roxas doubted he'd have been able to do the same, to keep a secret this big, and this painful, day after day. Especially not when Joseph was _asking._

"I… I'm not so sure," 29 answered, very slowly. He sent a reassuring smile at Joseph. "Everything is a little unstable right now. I'll have to try and contact 5 and 33, to see where your friends are, after all that's happened, alright?"

Joseph didn't look happy upon hearing the news, but he looked like he believed it. "Alright," he groaned. He trudged off immediately, to… somewhere. Roxas wasn't sure where, and hoped it wouldn't be a problem. 29 didn't seem too worried, at least.

"You should tell him," Roxas said.

"I know. I was hoping to find out where Patrick was, first, so when I break the news to him, I can break it to him all at once, if I have to." 29 cleared his throat, turning his eyes away from Roxas and to the distance.

"Do you think Patrick's still…?"

It was a while before 29 answered. "I… I wouldn't count on anything. Not after today."

"What even happened today?" Roxas asked.

29 shook his head. "I'm sorry, Roxas. You'll have to ask someone who isn't me." He headed off with a quick pace.

Roxas grimaced at his back. He could ask someone now… or he could wait a little. He did have two ice creams that were going to melt before long. Since it was faster, he simply formed a dark corridor around himself to Xion's room.

"Geeze, Roxas!"

He jumped at the sound of Xion's voice, and turned sheepishly to look at her. Xion looked like she'd just sat up in bed, and perhaps like she'd been asleep. She had the bedhead to suggest that, anyway. Perhaps it hadn't been his smartest to corridor straight into her room, as opposed to right outside the door.

"Sorry," he apologized. He offered the ice cream to her. "Want it?"

"No."

He pulled the ice cream back to him. What was he going to do with it now? Give it to Axel, he supposed, if Axel was done with his missions. And if he could get it to Axel before it melted.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked.

Xion let out a frustrated breath and flopped back down onto the bed.

"Tired."

"Oh."

Roxas paused, eating the last bite of his ice cream. Xion said nothing, just stared at the ceiling. He couldn't quite see how her face scrunched with anger, but it was like he could feel it. Perhaps he just knew by the way she tensed, by the way she had a hand to her forehead.

"Missions went okay," he began.

"Roxas, please, I just want to go back to my nap."

He opened his mouth, whether to protest or just to clarify she was okay before she kicked him out, he wasn't sure. Sound wouldn't make it past his tongue, though, so he closed his mouth. He wondered why she was so snippy. Was it just being woken up from a nap?

He couldn't bring himself to ask that either, so all he said was:

"Oh. Okay. See you."

"See you."

Roxas left.

The World that Never Was wasn't any better, though, as it turned out. Roxas returned to the Grey Area to find Axel pinning Saix to the wall by his cloak.

"You're _disgusting!_" Axel screamed. Roxas knew Nobodies couldn't feel emotions, but Axel was putting on a damn good show at it. As always, however, Saix was the complete opposite. Completely calm, distanced from the emotions he could not feel, looking no more than vaguely annoyed, if that.

"I'm just being honest, Axel."

"You don't even care that you killed some of the loyal ones!"

Roxas slowly reached over and plopped both his empty ice cream stick and the ice cream he'd been intending to give to Axel in the trash. Now wasn't the time, and it would probably melt long before a good time came.

"Be honest, Axel," Saix said. He didn't at all appear fazed at Axel's grip on his cloak, or the snarl on Axel's lips. "Most of the Replicas were entirely useless. We hardly need more than twenty of them wandering around. What's it matter if there were a few casualties?"

Roxas's heart leapt to his throat, not for the first time in what had to be the past twenty minutes.

"Wait, you killed Replicas!?" he was stammering, before he even realized it.

"Now look what you've done." Saix pushed Axel off of him, dusting himself off and straightening his cloak with care. He sent a disappointed scowl at Axel, before turning his attention to Roxas. "Only those that were disloyal."

"The death count is over _fifty!_" Axel argued. It earned him a stronger scowl from Saix.

"Wrong, there are fifty _unaccounted _for."

"That's the _same thing!_"

Saix rolled his eyes. Clearly he didn't think so, but Roxas certainly saw Axel's point. The stress 29 had been feeling, along with the damage in C.O. that he had seen but not noted until now made sense.

"I have had enough of your griping, Axel," Saix said. "So _shut it _before I heap another load of double missions on you."

Axel huffed. "Some way to treat an old friend," he grumbled.

"Why'd you do that!?" Roxas demanded. His blood was pulsing harder than he'd ever felt it pulse before. The edges of his vision seemed to swim. It took him a moment to register both sensations were caused by his anger, and he spent a moment more to wonder if it was even _smart _to be angry at Saix, before deciding not to care. He _was _angry. He was tired of Saix treating Replicas like this.

"Like I said, they were disloyal. There is no other reason, and I don't need another one." Saix sniffed, his tone alone declaring that was final. "Now, since we're all here, I suppose I should go ahead and say it—"

"We aren't all here, though," Demyx said.

Roxas did a quick check of the room, a little frustrated with himself that he hadn't done it before. All of the Organization members were here, minus Xemnas (unsurprisingly) and Xigbar. Demyx was lounging in one of the chairs, having to roll his neck to get a good look at Saix. Luxord sat in the couch across from Demyx. Xaldin was at the other set of couches on the other side of the room, back to Axel and Saix. Luxord was occupied with a deck of cards, and Xaldin appeared mildly frustrated at something.

Saix sniffed again, straightening his cloak in what Roxas was surprised to decode as a nervous gesture. Nobodies and their supposed lack of emotions were _definitely _weird.

"Well, Xemnas doesn't need to hear this, and Xigbar probably already knows, so if you'll please," Saix paused to clear his throat. "Ties with Castle Oblivion have been officially cut. We believe most of the surviving disloyal Replicas are holing themselves up there. If I catch any of you visiting from here on out, there will be very unpleasant consequences."

He left, leaving Roxas feeling a little queasy. It'd seemed that Saix had directed that last comment very specifically at him. That piercing stare that had accompanied it hadn't helped. It was like the look could've pierced into Roxas's mind, and…

He didn't want to think about it.

Axel left not long after Saix did, and Roxas turned his attention to the other Organization members.

"So what, _exactly _did Saix do?" he asked.

Demyx shrugged. "Not sure, man, not for certain. I hear he gathered all the Replicas and just started killing them."

"_Only _the disloyal ones," Xaldin corrected.

Demyx laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, like he noticed which were which."

"And- and why weren't any of you yelling at him?" Roxas asked.

"Aw, don't take it out on us Roxas—I know this news isn't nice to hear, but there's nothing we can do about it!" Demyx smiled reassuringly to him, neck rolled over the back of the chair he was in so he could even _see _Roxas. "Axel's got some guts standing up to Saix. I wouldn't dare!" He shivered.

"Axel knows who he's dealing with, is all." Luxord shuffled his deck of cards. Shifted it. Shuffled again, speaking over the sound of cards smacking against themselves. "I wouldn't dare take a risk so large when I didn't at least have a good guess at what was in his hand—then again, Axel rarely takes caution when he gambles."

"You also cheat at poker!" Xaldin called.

The shuffling of Luxord's cards stopped, and he sent a glare like death at Xaldin. "I do not."

Roxas growled and clutched his hands together in front of him. "Card analogies aside! I can't believe Saix really—"

"I wouldn't show your distaste so loudly, Roxas," Xaldin warned. "Or Saix might think you, too, are disloyal."

"He wouldn't kill me."

None of them seemed to believe the words as strongly as he did.

"But would you really force his hand with that assurance alone?" Luxord asked with raised eyebrows. He casually pulled a card out of the deck, flashing it at Roxas, before considering it himself. It was an ace.

Roxas's _yeah, duh _died in a gulp. It'd saved him once, when he'd spoken out against Saix's destruction of the Experiments, but would it save him again? The image of the ace burned in his mind. Xigbar's words echoed in his ears, Xemnas's threat to drag him back kicking and screaming. _"Rewriting is an option, after all. Good thing you aren't planning on leaving, huh, kiddo?"_

Roxas grunted, but kept his mouth shut. He formed a dark corridor to his room, and was surprised to feel Axel's hand on his shoulder the moment it closed.

"Roxas. I need to talk to you."


	21. Chapter 21

**_Chapter 21_**

Roxas pushed Axel's hand off of his shoulder, turning around to glare at him. Even if Axel had been yelling at Saix and was, for the most part, on Roxas's side, he still felt disgruntled.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

Axel's eyes narrowed. "You have to listen to Saix. You have to stop going to C.O." he said. At this proximity, Roxas could see his Adam's apple bob in his throat.

"Pff," Roxas rolled his eyes. "And never see Xion again? You're kidding, right?" Even with Saix's warnings in mind, he wasn't ready to stop visiting with her. He'd just have to be stealthier about his visits to Castle Oblivion, maybe avoid the Main Room entirely.

Axel grabbed him by the shoulder again, his grip rougher than it ever was. "But if you're found out?" He bent down a little to meet Roxas's eyes. "I _thought _you didn't want Xemnas to know about Xion."

Roxas faltered. "Well, _no,_" he admitted. "But I'm not- I'm not just gonna stop seeing her."

"They won't just kill her, they'll Rewrite you while they're at it!"

Axel was only worried—or as worried as he could be—and Roxas understood that. But something about Axel's expression and words were rubbing him the wrong way. Maybe it was just being annoyed at the events that had taken place today. Maybe it was just a leftover sting from how bitter Xion had been when he'd gone to see her. He shoved Axel's hand off his shoulder, harder this time, taking a step back to distance himself from Axel. The glare on his face now was deeper, the snarl on his lips more pronounced.

"What _else _am I supposed to do, Axel!?"

"Only see her out in the worlds instead of C.O.?" Axel suggested. The way his eyes narrowed now seemed almost suspicious, and he watched Roxas warily. "Twilight Town has that sweet spot on the clock tower, remember?—we could all start hanging out there if you'd like."

The suggestion that Axel be included in what had previously been a time privately shared between Roxas and Xion grated Roxas even more than any of Axel's previous words. He bit his lip, though.

"Look, I'll talk to Xion, and I'll ask," Roxas said. "But I'm not making any promises to stay out of C.O."

"You're being reckless."

Roxas snorted. "So? Why not talk to Saix and get me clearance to go, if you care so much about it." The words were bitter, and he knew they were, and knew that they would sting. He didn't care. It wasn't like Axel had a heart to be upset.

"Roxas, that's not going to do anything and you _know _it!"

Roxas shrugged. "Then forget about it. You can't tell me what to do, Axel."

"I just want you to be cautious."

"Funny to hear that from you." Roxas pushed past Axel and flopped onto his bed. "Now can you get out of my room? I'm exhausted from all the extra work I had to do today."

Axel sighed. "Yeah, fine. Good night."

It was a relief to hear the click of his door when it shut.

**xxx**

The day's missions brought them to Halloween Town—its eternal dreary atmosphere was a nice fit to Xion's mood, along with Roxas's, from the looks of him. He was putting on a smile, but it was bitter, and his attitude was much more biting than it normally was. He'd seemed irritated when he picked her up this morning, still seemed irritated now.

"So the Organization's cut ties with C.O. and I probably shouldn't have gone there to pick you up, but, I mean, whatever." It was an attempt at small talk on Roxas's part, as they trudged into a deeper area of the world in search for Heartless, which were proving surprisingly hard to find. He sliced his Keyblade angrily at one of the statues when he passed it, though it didn't do much.

It wasn't very good small talk, though, seeing as it made Xion stop dead in her tracks.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble?" she asked. She rubbed her hands together nervously, in part worried about Roxas, in part hoping she'd still be able to cast magic when they eventually found Heartless. She hadn't lost the ability before, but losing her Keyblade had taken a toll on her confidence.

Roxas shrugged, pausing to examine a separate statue. As if he expected to find Heartless hiding behind it! "Only if I'm caught," he said. He tapped the top of the statue, then bumped it with his foot. Nothing. He shook his head and moved to the next one.

"_Roxas! _You should be more careful."

Roxas stopped with his hand a few inches from this statue, looking up at her with narrowed eyes. "How?" he asked. "I mean, even if we do start hanging out more on different worlds, I still gotta go to C.O. to pick you up."

"I… could always meet you in Twilight Town," Xion suggested.

Roxas flashed her a wry look. "Be honest, though. It's near impossible to tell time between the World that Never Was and Castle Oblivion, so setting a time to meet won't be easy, not to mention I don't even have solo missions _every_ day—look, I'm stopping by other worlds before heading to C.O., just in case they can track dark corridors." The words were meant to calm her, as was his reassuring smile. He put his hand against the statue, drumming his fingers against it. The statue seemed to rumble. "So long as I don't hang around C.O. for more than a few minutes at a time, I don't think we'll have a problem. Right?"

"I guess not…" Xion agreed, very slowly. Roxas knew the Organization better than her, anyway, and what was the worst they could do to him if he was caught? They couldn't kill him. She thought. There might've been something worse they could've done to Roxas—something that was _really _scaring her—but for the life of her, she couldn't remember it. What it was. Not even why it scared her.

That's when the statue rumbled so hard Roxas jumped back from it. It fell to the ground, and a Heartless popped out of it. It was one of those skeleton or mummy looking ones that were native to this world. Xion hurried a few paces backwards, biting her lip. Her arms ached when she raised them to cast a spell. Spell? What magic did she—oh right. Fire would probably work.

Her few feeble blasts of Fire didn't appear to do anything, but Roxas finished the Heartless off after a couple dozen bashes of his Keyblade. Xion doubled over as the Heartless vanished, gasping for air. She'd hardly moved at all, but she was as breathless as if she'd run three flights of stairs.

"You sure you're okay?" Roxas asked her.

She looked up at him, frowning. He was speaking as if he'd asked her this recently. Had he…? She couldn't remember.

"I'm… it's… wooo…" She let out a long breath, then took a deep one in. What was she going to say? What had Roxas asked? And… _why _were her lungs on fire?

"Xion?" Roxas was over and steadying her, though he still had his Keyblade out. She thought that funny, but also thought there was a reason he hadn't banished it. A specific reason. What was it? She clung to him, trying not to breath so heavily, not wanting to look like she was about to pass out. Even as she thought it, she had to squeeze her eyes shut a moment. Her vision was swimming.

"Listen, I know you said you were fine, but you also said it's been harder to breathe lately," Roxas said. "If you really don't think you can keep going on missions with me, that's fine—We can hang out plenty other times."

Xion looked at Roxas, squinting. "Did I _say _I felt like I couldn't go on missions anymore?" she asked. She didn't remember that. And she certainly didn't remember _telling _him it was harder to breathe than usual.

"Yeah, you said you've been feeling extremely tired, lately…" Roxas squinted back at her. "Seriously, Xion, are you okay? Do you think you need to go back to C.O.? I don't mind."

"What? Pff!" She tried to laugh, but a feeble puff of air through her lips was all she could manage. "I'm fine, really. Besides, we've only been here like five minutes! It'd be silly to go back so soon."

Roxas's grip on her tightened. She realized dimly that he had to be supporting most of her weight with how she was leaning against him.

"Wow, okay, Xion, you are _really _starting to worry me!"

"What? Why?"

"Because this is the third time you've nearly collapsed, and we've definitely been here at least thirty minutes, though for the past twenty you've seemed convinced we only just got here." Roxas banished his Keyblade, supporting her with both his hands. Xion flushed uncomfortably. Was that true? Roxas wouldn't lie to her, of course, but…

"_Seriously?_" She reached up to press a hand to her forehead. She felt even dizzier now.

Roxas grunted. "Listen, Xion, I don't want to be mean but if you're gonna be like this, I may not be able to take you on missions."

"I can't _help _it, Roxas!" she snapped.

"I know. I know." He sighed. "But that doesn't make you less of a liability. I'm sorry."

Xion groaned, and attempted to put her weight back on her feet, and not on Roxas. It seemed to go… well. "How am I supposed to hang out with you if not on missions?" she asked.

"We can hang out after my missions, in other worlds, like I said!" Roxas was starting to sound a little impatient. "Axel even suggested the three of us could start hanging out on the clock tower in Twilight Town—though if you don't want to hang with Axel, I understand." Roxas noticed she was trying to support herself, and loosened his hold on her.

"No, Axel's al…right…" She swayed, and Roxas moved to steady her again. She pressed her hand against her forehead, squeezing it. "Ohh, I really don't think I can… I don't think I can go on missions with you, Roxas."

Roxas let out an _extremely _exasperated breath, though she couldn't understand why. "Well. If that's what you think." His voice was strained, like he was trying to keep from shouting.

She sent a mock offended glance at him. Why was he supporting her? "Oh, come on, not even gonna try and talk me out of it?" she teased. When she tried to stand up, she realized why she'd been leaning on Roxas. Her knees wobbled and her head swam, so she fell back against him.

"I think you need some rest," Roxas said. "And you might want to talk to 7—"

"Why? He can't fix me."

A slight growl rumbled in Roxas's throat.

"Not yet, no, but eventually… He'll figure something out."

Xion just shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. He can't do anything for me right now, anyway." If she could've pushed away from Roxas, she would've.

"Then just… get some rest. I'll come talk to you once I'm done with my missions." He formed a dark corridor straight into her room, and without closing it, walked her over to her bed. There was something nagging at Xion, about what Roxas had said, about why he shouldn't come see her… She couldn't place it.

She was settled in bed before long, and Roxas was heading back for the dark corridor he'd formed, waving. "I'll see you soon, alright?" he said.

"Alright!" she called, as chipper as she could muster. It was too much effort to wave back, so she didn't.

That's right. The Organization didn't want him coming to Castle Oblivion. Because of… the Rebellion. The Rebellion lead by Riku and that prick of a Zexion Replica. But how else was she supposed to hang out with Roxas, if not here? And why did her head hurt so much?


	22. Chapter 22

**_Chapter 22_**

Xion shifted a little uncomfortably in her chair, fruitlessly trying to pull her thoughts into something coherent. She was quite sure she'd lost her train of thought at least twice now, but could not tell if she had completely lost it, or if she'd been able to pull the thought back together. She wasn't sure which scared her more. Completely losing thoughts? Or being unable to tell when you found them again, because they sparked no recognition?

She'd ended up stopping going on missions with Roxas, out of a necessity more than anything else. She proved a liability, in the end. Roxas couldn't count on her as a trustworthy partner, and couldn't take time from his missions to make sure she was okay every five minutes. They still hung out after he was done. She felt like he should be here to pick her up soon, but her concept of time was likely skewed, and not just because of it being near incapable of telling time in Castle Oblivion.

Her attention turned to Joseph, eyes widening with surprise before she (thankfully) remembered that he'd been here for a while. Or, at least for a few minutes? No, longer than that. Well, regardless of how long, he'd been here. This was at least the third time she'd noticed him. (And the second she'd forgotten she'd noticed him before.)

Joseph was sitting hunched over on the couch to her left, hands in his lap and head hung low. It was strange to see him like this. 29 had told her why he was upset, though. He'd finally found out about what happened to the other Experiments, to his friends, and hadn't taken the news well. Or, he certainly didn't look like he'd taken the news well.

Xion considered talking to him, but wasn't sure what to say. How to comfort him. Plus, there was the possibility she'd already talked to him, and that she didn't remember. She didn't want to embarrass herself by repeating something she'd already said. And it probably was best not to worry Joseph with her condition, even if they didn't know each other that well.

Xion let out a long breath. Maybe she should get up and head back to her room. If Roxas really would be here to pick her up soon, then he'd want to pick her up from there, not the Main Room. It'd taken a while and a lot repeating explanations from Roxas and Axel both for the details to click in her head, but finally, they had.

Anyway, she should be going to her room. She gathered her energy to push herself to her feet, then paused. When had Riku gotten here? He was standing next to Joseph, and Joseph seemed pretty distressed.

"Because they're _dead!_" Joseph was in the middle of saying, his small hands clenched into furious fists. "Because Saix _killed _them, because—" He broke off, as if the words were too much.

"Huh. I thought it was quieter."

Joseph's head snapped up. "Wow. _WOW. _That was pretty _mean, _Riku!"

"Uh—"

"Like GEEZE I thought you were a lil nicer than that."

"Sorry?"

"Sorry? _Sorry? _That's all you have to say?"

Joseph's voice cracked a little. Riku'd gone very pale. Xion watched, biting into her lip, hands slowly tightening into fists.

"What else do you want me to say?" Riku asked.

"I dunno! You could at least _pretend _to be upset about it, I mean, that's a bunch of kids just _dead _because of Saix and it's _horrible _and I'm the _only one left! _I'm the only one…"

"I… I guess that is pretty horrible…" Riku agreed.

Xion's mouth curled with disgust. Riku'd apologized. She knew that. She had to keep reminding herself of that. He hadn't been a total jerk, but, something about him still _infuriated _her. He'd apologized. But he'd—

She didn't even realize what she was doing until Riku was recoiling and her knuckles were throbbing. She pulled her arm back, blinking rapidly, trying to recall if she'd made a _conscious _decision to get up and punch Riku. Riku glared at her, rubbing his eye.

"What the hell was _that _for!?"

Joseph was on his knees on the couch at her side—nearly her height, sitting like that—frowning at her. "Yeah, geeze Xion. I know I was upset and that we were arguing and junk but that kinda wasn't warranted?"

Xion tuned Joseph out. It wasn't hard to tune Joseph out. In fact, it was easy to relent to the pulsing of her blood and the pounding of her head as her eyes focused on Riku. She lowered her fist to her side, taking a step forward, into his space.

"You deserve what comes to you," she spat. Dimly she wished she was a little taller so she wasn't looking up at him. So that she'd be a little more intimidating.

Riku stared with wide eyes regardless. He lowered his hand from his eye, squinting at her.

"Wh- what is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not a hero. You're the cause of all of… all… of… _this, _y'know?"

The words slurred in her mouth. Joseph was tugging at her arm. Riku'd taken a step backwards and away from her. He looked paler than he ever had before. The pulsing of Xion's blood turned to throbbing, the pounding in her head to buzzing. She raised her hand to jab Riku in the chest, though it was an effort.

"Then why don't… don't you help _fix it?_" she said.

"I—" Riku stammered. Swallowed. "_How?_" She dare not entertain the thought he looked _scared. _Her eyes were probably playing tricks on her.

"Xion, cut it out," Joseph said, at her side. His tugs on her arm nearly toppled her.

"Don't know," she told Riku. "Not my… problem."

She turned to leave, to leave it at that, but she couldn't go anywhere until Joseph let go of her. He let her go, but got down off the couch to follow after her. She thought he said something. She couldn't hear it. Her vision swam with her next step and she hoped she'd at least be able to get to her room before she collapsed.

Riku grabbed her arm, yanking her back. She was lucky she managed to keep her balance.

"It _is _your problem!" He was shouting, and his voice was much too loud for her ears. "Saix is after you too!"

"Riku, c'mon, leave her alone," Joseph protested. They both ignored him.

"He doesn't know I exist!" Xion tried to tug her arm away from Riku. It didn't work.

"But he could find out," Riku argued.

"From wh… from you? No one here is gonna- turn me… in, so unless _you _plan on… it…" She felt very dizzy. It was hard to be threatening when her head was spinning.

"Tell me how I'm supposed to fix this!"

Xion growled, at Riku, at the fact she could hardly think. She attempted to yank her arm out of his grasp again while attempting to round on him at the same time.

"Or what? You'll—"

The effort was too much. Her knees gave way and her vision went black. She vaguely realized that there was a pair of hands trying to support her, and a voice calling to her. Calling her name. Asking if she was okay. She wasn't sure if it was Riku or Joseph, but the thought of Riku touching her burned.

"Get your _filthy… _hands off of… me…!" It was hard to shout when her tongue rebelled against her. She wasn't sure if her attempts to shove the hands off of her were successful, either. "You… _are… _a monster!"

After a moment she felt another pair of hands supporting her. She thought they were Roxas's, but wasn't quite sure. It was impossible to tell. It was impossible to fight anymore. The buzzing in her ears filled her, and she succumbed to blackness.

**xxx**

Roxas made his way to the Main Room, corridoring close to but not exactly into it. Xion hadn't been in her room, so she was probably here. As long as he didn't stay long, there wouldn't be a problem. Besides, if the Organization _actually _checked all the security cameras, they'd have bigger problems (like them finding out about Xion) than just Roxas being caught. The conversation he'd had with 7 and R about the matter—about the chances of the Organization, of Xemnas, _actually _knowing—rang in his mind, but he pushed it aside.

It wasn't hard to find Xion. In fact, it would've been harder not to notice her. She was yelling at Riku, who was yelling back. Their words were lost between the effects of these walls and the pounding of Roxas's feet as he ran forward. He reached the group of them—Joseph was there, too—as Xion collapsed.

"Xion? Xion, you okay?" Joseph asked. Riku was trying to help her sit back up.

Xion flailed, as if trying to push Riku off of her. Her wide eyes stared blindly, terror—and anger—written clearly on her face. "Get your… _filthy… _hands off… of me!" She shouted, the words slurring together and for a moment impossible to understand. "You… _are… _a monster!"

Roxas grabbed at her, pulling her away from Riku. His eyes were as wide as Xion's, and his hands were held away from her, as if stung.

"Why were you yelling at her?" Roxas demanded, looking up at Riku. Xion seemed to have fainted entirely, so he put his worries about her out of his mind for a moment. There was nothing he could do for her immediately, anyway. No spell, no potion could fix this.

"She- she called me-" Riku began, but couldn't seem to find the words.

"Me 'n Riku were arguing a little," Joseph said. "Well, not exactly but, well. Kinda? Anyway, whatever, Xion got upset for some reason and punched Riku in the eye, then she said some pretty mean stuff, and Riku got upset, and that's why they were yelling at each other. But since she punched Riku first I'm not so sure if Riku's only to blame….? Hmm…"

"Still!" Roxas huffed.

Riku said nothing. He only reached up to tenderly touch his blackening eye. Roxas scowled slowly at him, shifting how Xion lay in his lap.

He'd never really _met _Riku before this, only _heard _about him and seen him in passing. But, as far as first impressions went… Well, Riku wasn't doing well, to say the least. Roxas had never believed he was quite as bad as Xion made him out to be, and he didn't exactly believe Xion now, either, but any good feelings he'd had for Riku were dwindling.

Roxas swallowed, then scoffed.

"Go get your eye repaired, it looks terrible," he told Riku, with a jut of his chin.

Riku hesitated a moment, then got to his feet. He hesitated a second longer, and then took off at a stumbling run—not in the direction of 7, or anyone else who had access to the Repair Program, strangely enough. Roxas raised his eyebrows, then shook his head. There was no use worrying about it.

"Is… is Xion alright?" Joseph asked. He'd dropped down from the couch to the floor, and was squatting down next to her.

"Ah, yeah…" Roxas said. He wasn't sure how much Joseph knew about Xion's condition, if he knew anything, but he didn't want to worry the boy. Especially not after all of his other friends had…

"You sure?" Joseph pressed.

There was no fooling him.

Still…

"She just hasn't been feeling good, lately, that's all." Roxas dragged himself and Xion with him to his feet, groaning a little with the effort. She wasn't heavy, exactly, but her height alone made it awkward—even if she was only as tall as he was. "Maybe she's sick."

"Replicas don't get sick," Joseph argued.

Roxas shrugged, as well as he could with Xion in his arms. "What about those viruses I keep hearing about?"

"Hmm… True…" Joseph straightened to his feet. "You should take her to 7."

"I will," Roxas said. He intended to take her to her room, though—he knew 7 couldn't do anything for her without access to the Program.

"You need help?" Joseph asked, bouncing a little. "I could run ahead and warn 7 you're on your way—"

"I'm just going to form a corridor there," Roxas interrupted. "But thanks."

"No problem." Joseph saluted and flashed Roxas an uneasy smile. "Let me know how it goes, alright? I know you aren't supposed to be hanging around here, much, but… She's my friend too, in a way."

That broke a smile onto Roxas's face. He sighed. "I will."


	23. Chapter 23

**AN/ **This note was supposed to go with the last chapter, but I _totally _spaced it! If you want to read Joseph discovering the fate of the other Experiments, that was documented in ASAS ch50.

* * *

**_Chapter 23_**

Xion looked out to the perpetual sunset, sighing deeply. It was beautiful. This wasn't the first time she'd been up here on the clock tower with Axel and Roxas, but the beauty of the sunset never failed to amaze her. The height had bothered her, at first, but now she enjoyed it. Being up this high, high enough it felt like she could reach out and touch the clouds if she wanted to… It was…

It was amazing.

"How are things in C.O., huh?" Axel asked, flicking his empty ice cream stick over Roxas and at her. It took Xion a second to respond, between being lost in her thoughts and not registering he'd said anything right away.

"Uh, a new Vexen showed up," Xion answered. She spoke very slowly, so that if her words slurred, it wouldn't be too embarrassing. "I think. Everyone seemed to get all excited about him."

Roxas turned to her, eyes scrunched with confusion. "You mean a Vexen _Replica, _right?"

"Well… Probably." Xion shrugged. "I dunno what else he could be, but with the fuss he was causing…"

"He's gotta be a Replica," Axel said. "He can't be anything else. The real Vexen's dead!"

"Well, what I know for _sure _is that he was making Riku really uncomfortable." Xion chuckled at the thought. The only reason she'd stayed long enough to _notice _the fuss about this Vexen was because Riku seemed pretty distressed by him. She wasn't close enough to hear why, but it'd be fun watching him squirm.

Roxas nudged her in the ribs, laughing and shaking his head. "Bet you enjoyed that!"

Xion grinned back, and took a bite of her ice cream to hide how wide the grin was. It was really nice, hanging out up here with them. She'd had her doubts at first, but she was glad she'd agreed to this. It was a lot of fun. The thought it wouldn't last forever nagged in her mind, but she pushed it away. Sure, she would die before either of them, at the rate things were going. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy this while she had it.

"Y'know, I still don't think you've told us what your beef with Riku is, Xion," Axel said. There was a glint in his eyes.

"She's told me," Roxas interrupted. "About a thousand times."

Axel scoffed in mock indignance. "Well _excuse me _for not being in on the loop!"

They all laughed a little, then Roxas spoke up with something a little less funny.

"You ever thought about joining the Rebellion…?"

He didn't look at either of them, but out into the sunset. He held half-finished ice cream in his lap. Xion rolled her eyes. She'd already told Roxas how she felt about the Rebellion—hadn't she? Now that she was thinking about it, she was having doubts. Either she'd intended to and forgotten, or she'd done it, and forgotten. Both were equally possible. It wouldn't have been the first thing she'd forgotten doing, either. Her memory was very spacey, especially lately.

"Bad idea," Axel said, near immediately. "You'll get killed."

"I'm still not so sure Xemnas would kill me," Roxas argued.

Axel deflated. Xion opened her mouth to speak, but Axel still beat her to the punch. "Think about it this way, then," Axel said. "Helping the Rebellion is the last thing that would help them—given how adamant Xemnas is about keeping you, he'd slaughter them all just to get you back. They're less likely to be killed if you aren't with them."

"What if I helped them in secret?" Roxas asked. Xion was sure his ice cream was going to melt sooner rather than later, if not be flung from the stick with how he was swinging it around. "I could be someone on the in—"

"It won't work." Axel didn't even give Roxas a chance to finish. "You don't have what it takes to be a double agent, first of all, and second of all, Xemnas would eventually find out and we're back to square one."

Roxas sighed. He looked ready to argue again, but dropped it for some reason and took a bite of ice cream instead.

"Besides," Xion butt in, before she lost the chance. "I'm not so sure the Rebellion's even that _great. _I mean, look at who's leading it! Riku, who decided to slaughter every Larxene Replica just because- because he couldn't stand to… to look… at them." She paused to take a deep breath. If she let her emotions take her, her words would quickly become incoherent. "And then there's that Zexion- there's Alpha. And _he's_—"

Axel laughed, cutting her off. Was he going to _keep_ doing that?

"Is that your beef with Riku?" he asked, as he sent a surprised look at her. "I'd kill them all too if I wouldn't get in trouble for it. They're annoying, and frankly, I'm not even sure why Vexen created them to begin with."

"It's _murder!_"

Axel just shrugged.

Xion growled.

"Look, I know Riku's not the greatest guy when it comes down to it, but that doesn't mean the Rebellion's _bad _just because he's leading it," Roxas said. "Joseph was telling me that he doesn't even want to be in charge of it."

"He only is because he's their best shot at taking down Saix or, y'know, _whatever _it is they plan on doing," Axel said.

"How do _you _know that?" Xion demanded. She was very grateful her words weren't slurring as much as they could've been.

Axel only shrugged, chewing on his empty ice cream stick now. "I have my sources," he replied. "And I never said I disagreed with the Rebellion. I just think helping them out is a dumb idea for all of us—well, not for Xion, but she doesn't want anything to do with them, so that doesn't matter."

"You wouldn't get caught if you helped them," Roxas said, shooting an accusing glance at Axel. Somewhere in the past minute or so he'd finished his ice cream. "So why not—"

"No."

Roxas sighed again.

"Well, if the Rebellion's a bad idea, what about running away?" he asked. His voice was a whisper, quieter than it had been when he'd suggested helping the Rebellion. "We could do that. We could all run."

"Xemnas wouldn't let you go," Axel argued.

"There's gotta be _somewhere _we could go that he'd never find us."

Axel shrugged.

Xion sniffed.

"And, even if there isn't," Roxas continued. "What's so bad about being on run if it's the three of us together, huh? It wouldn't be so bad."

"It's a dumb idea."

Xion tried not to look at Roxas as she said it, but it was hard. She kept sending glances at him. He looked surprised and perhaps a little… hurt. Axel raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing. Xion swallowed. Her stomach was roiling.

"It just, it is," she said. "_I _don't want to live on the run!"

Roxas slowly glared at her, "Well you don't seem too keen on living in hiding, either." There was a bitterness in his tone, in his eyes. An anger she didn't quite like to see. "And you joining the Organization isn't an option, even if you were fixed. So what _are _you going to do, Xion? Huh? What are you going to do after you're fixed?"

"That's _if _I'm—"

"Xion," Axel called. "Ice cream's melting."

She swallowed her words and looked down at her ice cream. It was little more than a half-eaten blob by now, just about ready to fall into her lap. She set it down on the clock tower next to her, not wanting to finish it, nor wanting it to land on cloak, or worse, having it fall below. Someone else could worry about the mess.

"I wish you'd stop talking like that," Roxas muttered.

Xion looked at him, confused. It took her brain a couple extra seconds to remember where they'd left off before Axel had interrupted. But then she did, and irritation flooded her. "Be honest, Roxas! At the rate 7's going, he's not going to know how to cure whatever is wrong with me before it kills me. He has no idea what he's doing."

"That's not a reason to _give up!_"

"Well, if she's gonna die soon, maybe you should make the most of what time she has left," Axel said. Roxas and Xion both looked at him. "I mean, you can't stop her from dying if it comes to that, and why wait around here moping that you can't fix it when you can be making sure what might be her last days are the best? I mean! What are we sitting around up here for, huh? There are so many other worlds to see." He shrugged widely, turning to stare at them. "What about a beach? You said you wanted to go to a beach, right?"

Slowly, hesitantly, both likely a little taken aback by this coming from Axel all of a sudden, Roxas and Xion agreed.

"We never got a chance," Roxas said. "Never got a day off."

"So? Play hooky tomorrow! I'll cover for you. Or you could—wait. That wouldn't work." Axel grimaced, then groaned. "Can't tell Saix to go easy on you for a day because you weren't feeling good. Replicas don't get sick! But there could be another reason. The Heartless was too much to handle, or… we'll think of something."

"That sounds like a great idea! What do you think, Xion? _Xion!_"

Xion blinked rapidly, trying to will her vision back to her. She'd blacked out for a second. Her vision returned quickly, at least, but the sight before her struck her in the gut and made her numb. Roxas, staring _down _at her in horror. Axel—there wasn't time to see his face. He was out of view too soon.

She was falling.

In that second she'd blacked out, she must have fallen forward—off the clock tower.

For a second she was shocked, and then all of a sudden, she wasn't. The numbness left her. She wasn't scared. For some reason, she just _wasn't_ scared. Death was coming, anyway. Why not now?

She took only a second to reconsider the terror on Roxas's face, took another to think she felt sorry for him—this was a terrible way to end it all, wasn't it?—and then she closed her eyes. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the wind rushing around her as she plummeted.

She thought she heard Roxas shout something, or maybe Axel. What they shouted was lost to wind.

The fall seemed to last forever. It was a serene feeling, actually. Nothing but the air below her, or above her, at least for the moment. No worries. Nothing. Just a sense of… _peace. _She fell. Her data glitched, she'd stopped supporting herself, she fell. It wasn't Roxas's fault. It wasn't her fault. There was nothing to worry about.

She clutched her hands against her chest, embracing the buffeting wind and the idea of death.

It was coming anyway.

Why not now?

Darkness engulfed her—

Her eyes jolted open in shock. That wasn't the ground she'd hit. Someone had _caught _her. She felt their arms around her, holding her tightly, as if afraid to drop her.

"Careful there."

Axel.

"You alright?"

She looked up at him, disbelieving. How had he even managed to…? And- and was that _worry _on his face, written in his features? Were his green eyes narrowed with _concern? _It wasn't something she was used to seeing on his face, and it looked so genuine that for a moment she forgot he was a Nobody and couldn't feel anything.

"Quite a fall, wasn't it?" Axel continued, when she said nothing. He set her on her feet, carefully, and when those couldn't support her, eased her to the ground with him. Xion kept gaping.

"H-how? How did you… How. Did you _catch… _me?" It took her a few tries to get the question out.

Even if he _had_ managed to position himself below her—that fall should've killed her, regardless. And squashed him on top of it! She shouldn't have lived. She shouldn't have—

"Almost didn't." There was a nervous laugh in his voice, and the worry on him became more present. "Vertical dark corridors are a pain… You're lucky Roxas thought to cast Stop on you before you got too far. Didn't work, of course, but it slowed you down. That was enough."

"Xion! Oh thank goodness you caught her!" Roxas was running towards them, skidding to a halt beside her. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, very tightly. Xion sat there for a moment, still a little stunned, and forgot to hug him back. "How are you?" Roxas asked, when he finally let go and pulled away—well, he didn't let go. He still held her by the shoulders. "Are you alright? Not hurt? Should I throw up a Cure?"

"I- I'm. F… fine."

"I think she's just a little stunned, but that's all," Axel said. "The Cure probably won't be necessary."

"If you're sure." Roxas nodded hesitantly. His eyes wouldn't stop searching Xion, as if unable to believe she was really there. Teasing him about that crossed her mind, but was lost. Xion bit her lip. Tried not to be disappointed.

The beach.

They were going to go to the beach.

She didn't want to die before getting to experience the beach for herself. That's what she kept telling herself. She drowned thoughts of the fall and the freedom with the idea of salt in the air and sand between her toes. Water lapping at her ankles. Sun on her skin. She'd seen it all through Sora's eyes. She wanted to see it with her own.

She told herself that she wanted to see it with her own.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Chapter 24_**

Going to see 7 after Xion fell off the clock tower wasn't an absolute necessity, but Roxas felt more comfortable doing it, and Xion didn't argue. She seemed very distracted, honestly. Axel went back to H.Q., saying he wasn't going to take his chances with C.O.

Roxas still thought running away—all three of them, though he'd leave Axel behind if he had to—was their best option. Sure, Xemnas would try hard to find him and drag him back, but… No, helping out the Rebellion was their best option. If the Rebellion succeeded, the Organization would be no more, or at least Saix and Xemnas wouldn't be a problem. They'd have to take out _both _of them to get anywhere, at this point.

And if the Rebellion didn't guarantee that, it wasn't like they could run before Xion was fixed, anyway. She wasn't going to last very long now, based on how 7 was talking as he went through the motions of checking her data. Roxas knew as well as 7 did, and as well as Xion did, that nothing new would be found. It still made him feel better to be here, though.

Xion falling had been scary. It'd been _terrifying. _Her death could come much quicker than Roxas was prepared for it too, and he was sure he wasn't ready to deal with it. He was trying to prepare himself for sitting next to her on her death bed as her failed data finished destroying her—and it wasn't an easy task—but he certainly wasn't prepared for such a sudden death as that one.

What would he do without Xion in his life? He'd have to move on, of course, but… He didn't want to think about what life would be like without Xion. He hoped she never did die, or not before they were both old and grey.

_At_ _the least, though, _he thought to himself. _Axel is right. 7 might not be able to come up with anything in time, when it comes down to it. So what time Xion has left… it should be special. The beach, then… We'll try and figure out how to get to the beach. I'll bounce a couple more ideas off of Axel when I get back to H.Q. He sounds like he's got plenty._

7 cleared his throat, and Roxas looked up, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Well, per usual, I can't do anything to help right now," 7 said. "But, I do have some good news!" He brightened considerably, a wide grin across his face. "R's come up with a way that _should _fix Xion. It will take us some time to get it _working, _but, it sounds like it'll work."

"What?" Xion asked.

"Well, the idea is to create a program that will constantly refill your data with un-marred source data," 7 explained. He certainly _was _in a brighter mood than normal. "At this point, simply adding new data to you might not be enough, and there is that problem where all data I've tried to add isn't compatible…"

Xion huffed and folded her arms across her chest. Roxas groaned at the sight of that scowl. He hated when she got bitter like this. "Where are you getting this 'source' data, though?" she demanded. "And how are… are you going to make sure _it's _compatible with… me?"

"R's taking care of that," 7 said. "I'm not sure how she intends to do it, but she's made other impossible things work before, so I'm not too worried about it. If anyone can make data compatible with yours, it's her."

"What about the source data?" Roxas asked, since 7 hadn't answered that. "Where are you supposed to get any of that? And, you know, have it _not _be as messed up as Xion's data is. No offense."

She simply shook her head. Roxas knew to take that as a 'none taken'.

7 sighed, though he merely seemed resigned at their reactions, and nothing more. "I'm scrounging that together," he said. "It won't be easy, no, but the idea is to compile all the data I would, as if creating a _new _Xion Replica. I won't, of course. It's just the only way I could think of to make anything like a suitable new source file." He moved to his computer, sliding his glasses onto his face. "It's actually a good thing you're here, Roxas! I'll need some of your memories."

"Aren't those unstable…?" Roxas frowned at 7.

"Only on their own," 7 corrected. "Mixed with other data—mixed with Xion's data, with your data, some I've taken from Kairi… The memories are to make sure Xion remains how she is, since it's the only other data of Xion we have access to that isn't, you know, _failing_."

"But isn't my data still- still… uh, still _failing_ in all of your… your memories of me?" Xion argued. She sounded very frustrated. Perhaps only because she couldn't get her words out right. Roxas felt awful for her. It couldn't have been fun.

That made 7 pause. He grimaced at his computer screen a long moment. "Well… yes… But our memories of you are going to be more to solidify things like your personality and your appearance and all that." He gripped the computer monitor tightly, and his voice was strained as he spoke. "It's not _perfect, _and I _know _that. But we haven't had any other ideas, and we're running out of time."

His words hit Roxas like a hammer, and his shaking resolve even more so. For a moment, it was hard to breathe, very hard to breathe.

"It… might not work…?" Roxas gasped.

7 shook his head.

"No. I'm hoping it will buy us more time, at least, but I can't even… I can't even…" 7 stopped and shook his head again, wiping at his eyes.

Roxas pushed his palm against his mouth. Took a deep breathe to stop himself from bursting into sobs then and there. It _sounded _like a good plan, he admitted, but he was smart enough to know it had holes. Smart enough to know there wasn't enough time to iron them all out.

"What's the point, then?" Xion asked.

Both Roxas and 7 turned to her, stunned. She was sitting like a statue, arms still over her chest, nose still turned up. She didn't sound the slightest bit upset by the news. She wasn't even trembling.

"D-do you _want _to die?" Roxas asked, with stammering lips.

Xion spared him a cold look out of the corner of her eyes. Hesitation crossed her for a moment, was gone.

"Well, he- 7 can't _fix _me! He can't—"

7's voice broke as he spoke. "I'm _working_ on it, Xion."

She spared him an annoyed look. Moved her hands to hug herself. Now she looked a little uncertain, and she blinked rapidly. "What's- what's the point?" she repeated. "He- He can't- and once I'm fixed—I don't want to work for Xemnas."

"You don't have to. I don't care what Axel says." Roxas got up from the cot he was on and plopped down next to Xion on hers. His presence was supposed to be comforting, and he tried to grab her hands. "We can—"

"I don't want to run, either!" Xion shouted. She pushed Roxas's hands away from her, though there wasn't much strength in her push. Had he resisted her, she wouldn't have been able to move him at all.

"The Rebellion…" 7 began.

"There's no way- no way in _hell _I'm working with them!"

She looked about ready to cry, and it seemed more from frustration than anything else, if Roxas was reading her right. He swallowed. "Xion. You- you have to do _something…_"

She didn't want to work with the Organization, which was understandable. She didn't want to work with the Rebellion, which was also understandable. But she didn't want to run. She didn't want to stay in C.O., in hiding. What did she want to do?

"There's no point," Xion said. Her back was to him.

Roxas blinked back the tears in his eyes. He wouldn't cry right now. He wouldn't.

"7…" he started, looking to the Vexen for help.

7 shook his head. "Roxas, I… I can't really…" He trailed off, sighing deeply, and saying no more. All he did was shake his head again.

Roxas turned back to Xion. She was completely closed off from him. The thought of asking his next question—here, where 7 was listening—was unbearable, so he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to scream, though. Xion couldn't be saying what he thought she was saying. And why couldn't 7… why couldn't he do anything?

"Here, Roxas," 7 said. Roxas perked up for a moment. "Why don't you move back to the other cot, so I can get a scan of your data, like I wanted? The sooner I have that, the sooner I can get started on trying to make this cure work." He was already moving to the other computer. Roxas's face fell, he'd been hoping for… he wasn't sure. He did as he was told.

The scan was finished in short order, and 7 sent them out of the room. Roxas considered leaving then and there, seeing as the less time he spent in C.O., the better, but he couldn't make himself leave, quite yet. He saw Xion to her room.

"Bye," Xion said, without hesitation, as she fell into her bed.

Roxas stopped at her doorway, sending a heartbroken look at her. He couldn't say if it was just his mood or if it was her, but she looked worse than usual. Rougher. Her hair was a mess. And though he couldn't see them now, he'd noticed bags under her eyes earlier.

And he had… a question to ask.

It pained him to consider asking it, and it took a lot of time to work up the nerve to do so. Xion can't have been feeling good, because in all the time it took Roxas to gather his will, she didn't complain or tease him once.

"Xion…" Roxas said, very slowly. "Are you… are you saying you don't want to live?"

She didn't move. Her attention was fixed on the ceiling, not him.

"I'm just… I'm tired, Roxas. I'm so tired."


	25. Chapter 25

**_Chapter 25_**

Axel was really just on a walk to stretch his legs, though he was glad of it in a few moments. Xion's voice came calling after him.

"Axel! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you."

He spun round to face her, eyes wide with worry. He hoped the _looking everywhere for you _was just an expression. The idea of her wandering around the World that Never Was, and worse, _running into people, _sent chills down his spine. What was she? Crazy?

"Xion!? _Why _are you _here?_" It was an effort to keep the panic out of his voice, but he was able to speak in a hushed shout as she neared him, rather than shouting in full. No need to draw further attention to her. They were lucky in the fact that this area wasn't exactly public—but it wasn't exactly private, either.

Xion paused only to catch her breath. She must've been looking for him for a while if she was _that _tired. The thought made him cringe. "Listen, Axel, I- I want you to turn me into the Organization," she said each word as if they were a chore, but Axel got the feeling it wasn't because she was hesitant.

"You… _what? _Xion, that's suicide!"

"Exactly."

She looked at him with an expression of stone. The heart he wasn't supposed to have caught in his chest.

"Y- you can't be _serious, _Xion!" He wouldn't believe she was. She _couldn't _be serious about this. He glanced around, half hoping to find Roxas, ready to jump out and tell him this was an elaborate prank. But even Roxas wouldn't joke about this.

"I'm- _dead _serious," Xion replied. "Please. Axel. Help?"

He swallowed. Looked at her sideways, then folded his arms over his chest. "Well, sure, let me just—_no!_" This was infuriating. _She _was infuriating. How could she think she could just walk up to him and ask him to kill her, basically? Because that's what she was asking. The next words he ground out were bitter. "If you want to die so badly, then just throw yourself off the damn clock tower. I mean, _excuse me _for saving you that last time."

Xion shook her head.

"No, I don't want this to _look_ like a suicide. Roxas would never forgive me."

That was all Axel could take. He grabbed Xion by the shoulders, hands tightening around her, resisting the urge to _shake some sense into her. _

"Then _live _for him."

Xion stared.

Lowered her head.

Sighed.

"Axel, please… _please…_" Her voice cracked. "I- I _can't. _I- I have a pain in my side that hasn't gone away for a month, I've. I've got. Can't stand without getting woozy, can't- _think straight._" She was trembling, and she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't _think. _I can't remember, I can't—"

Axel shook his head back at her, squeezing her shoulders. So many things were bursting in his chest, but he couldn't decide which to say. He let go of her and threw his hands down, chewing his tongue until he settled on:

"I'm not giving you a gun, Xion."

Xion stared at him for a long moment, then took a deep breath.

"…fine."

She turned.

She walked away.

Irritated, Axel almost let her go. If she wanted to get herself killed, then fine! But he wanted no part of it. Except… It was hard, watching her go. He was fond enough of her, and certainly didn't _really _wish death on her. Besides, if she left, if the Organization killed her, Roxas would never trust them again. He'd really try to run, then, and that would _definitely _get him killed.

"Xion! Wait!" Axel called, after her. His throat was dry.

She paused, but did not turn. Axel hesitated a moment, then growled. If she was forcing him to this, then fine—He stepped towards her, reaching out and grabbing her by the arm before she could get far. "Xion, you can't do this!"

Slowly, she turned to him, not resisting against his grip.

Her brows knit together.

"Can't do… what?" she asked.

He stared.

Was this another joke? Not that her first demand had been a joke, but—this was a pretty cruel joke, if it was one. Acting like she didn't know. He dropped her arm.

"C'mon Xion, don't give me that. This isn't funny."

She stared blankly back at him.

"Give you… what? What are you talking about?" She frowned hard, then shook her head, an almost pleasant expression crossing her features. "Good thing I found you, though. I wanted to ask—"

It hit him, then, what was happening. She'd forgotten she'd asked.

"You already _asked!_" he told her, shouted at her.

She paused.

"Oh."

Another pause.

"What was… your… answer?"

"NO!" He was yelling before she could finish. "I'm not helping you!"

What had been a hopeful expression fell into one that was murderous.

"Oh. That's un- un… that's…" She sniffed, stopping there. It was as if she couldn't get her tongue to shape the word. "Fine then." She started off.

"Xion _please,_" Axel called after her again. "Please, for Roxas, _please _don't do this." It hurt to beg, but she'd left him with no other choice.

She didn't seem to hear him, though. Or to care. Which, Axel wasn't sure—he only knew as much as he'd been told about her condition, which, as he was realizing now, was frighteningly not enough. Forgetting a conversation you'd just had _wasn't natural. _How much else was it affecting?

"What about the beach? You seemed so excited to go…"

She rounded on him. "But you can't figure out a time _to _go!"

"Well." Axel grit his teeth. "_Well, _I mean, playing hooky isn't that easy. Roxas could get in serious trouble for not doing his missions. Trust me, I- I want this to work, I want to go, but until I come up with a reasonable excuse for Roxas to have not done his missions…"

He was hoping that Roxas would get a day with a few easy missions soon, that he could just blow through. That, or some really powerful Heartless that Roxas could put off fighting and just say it'd been too hard for him. It wasn't ideal, but it would be believable. That's all they needed.

Xion rubbed at her head, face scrunched up in pain. She staggered where she stood.

"Axel… _please… _I just want… want to…"

"Just _wait, _Xion." Axel swore he felt like he was going to cry, even though he knew it was absurd, even though he knew he couldn't. "At least- At least wait until…" He snapped his fingers, trying to pull up the number of the Vexen that Roxas had mentioned. "7? He's working on a cure for you, right?"

"He's not getting anywhere…"

"Roxas says otherwise."

Xion just rolled her eyes.

Axel licked his lips. He could almost feel the tears in his eyes. "Xion, just wait until 7 has something working, _please. _Just- just wait another week." Had Roxas said it should only be another week? Axel didn't know, but he had to keep talking, had to convince Xion not to head to Saix and hand herself over. "7 should have something by then. It shouldn't be long. Just wait until then, Xion, and- and then we'll go to the beach as celebration. Regardless of missions. And then… then you can do whatever…. I won't argue with you anymore."

He said that, but he did not promise that. And even if he had promised, he would've broken it in a heartbeat. Promises were made to be broken. Words were said to get what you needed, and he just needed Xion to _live. _

"It won't… make… any dif- difference…" Xion's voice was small.

"Just another week," Axel repeated. "Alright?" It wasn't so much to ask. "Roxas really wanted to go to the beach with you."

Xion hesitated for a long moment, hugging herself tightly.

"Al… alright."

"Promise me, Xion."

He couldn't trust her, otherwise. To him, promises meant nothing. But to her?

"Promise, Axel."

"Then get out of here before you're spotted!"

She laughed, emptily, and formed a dark corridor.

Axel sighed and raked a hand through his hair. That'd been exhausting. Why was his stomach clenched so hard, anyway? He wasn't supposed to care about this sort of stuff anymore…

**xxx**

Seeing Roxas was the next order of business—thankfully, Roxas was in his room. He yelled at Axel for not knocking, and Axel brushed it off with an insincere apology. There were more important things than Roxas's privacy right now.

He couldn't tell Roxas what he and Xion had talked about, but he had to do something.

"You are trying to go somewhere special with Xion every day, right?" he asked, before Roxas could say anything. Roxas looked up from flipping through his journal, _really _looked up now, a troubled expression on his face.

"As much as I can," he replied. "Missions only leave me with so much time, but we've visited somewhere pretty nice every day. I tend to just take her somewhere exciting I noticed on a mission…" He shook his head, closing his journal. He seemed very distressed. "It's just… It's hard to plan something exciting when you've only got an hour to do them—if that. She can hardly stay standing for 15 minutes…"

Axel swallowed. He didn't want to think about how bad Xion's condition was.

"Maybe you should stop by the beach," he suggested. "I know it's not the same if you can't get a full day, but… It's harder than I want it to be to figure out a good way for you to get away with playing hooky."

Roxas thought about it for a long moment. "Maybe… Maybe I will," he agreed. He nodded to himself. "I'm not sure if she'd even last a full day, anyway…"

"Good! Take her tomorrow."

"I will!" Roxas looked up at Axel. "What about you? Do you want to come?"

Axel scratched the back of his neck. "I… we'll see." It would depend on his own missions for the day, among other things. "I make no promises."

"Well, we can all go another time," Roxas said. He grinned at Axel. "Do you promise that?"

Axel hesitated. "Uh… yeah."


	26. Chapter 26

**_Chapter 26_**

"C'mon, Axel, come down to the water!" Roxas called.

"Not a chance!"

Xion dug her fingers into the sand, inhaling the salt-air with deep breaths. She'd taken off her boots and gloves and socks, and sat on the shore where the waves could lap against her ankles, pressing her fingers and toes into the wet sand. Roxas was knee deep in the water, wearing nothing _but _his pants. He was drenched completely, of course—it was like he was made for the water.

And, in a way, he was. _And so am I, _Xion thought.

A week, she'd promised Axel—or, had it been until they made it to the beach? No, no, it couldn't have been. It was a week. It had to have been a week, she promised. A week to give 7 the chance to finish his cure.

And 7 seemed fairly confident that what he and R had set out to build was nearly finished—he just wasn't confident it would work. She'd wait until he could try it, though, and then…

Well, then it didn't matter. Xion could feel her body failing already. It wouldn't be long before it failed her completely. If 7's cure did not work, then she would die, either from what ailed her, or at the hand of the Organization. She wasn't sure which would be more painful, but she had a feeling it would not be the latter.

She looked up in surprise, finally noticing that Roxas had waded over to her. He was beaming down at her, saying something. She stared at his lips for a long moment, brain churning as it tried to process the tail end of what he'd said.

The beach. He'd asked her if she was enjoying the beach.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, nodding. Her fingers tightened on the sand. "Mmhmm."

His grin widened.

"You wanna help me get Axel into the water?"

"It's not happening, Roxas! I have a mission I do eventually need to get to, and there is no way I'm going soaking wet!"

Roxas looked over at Axel, snickering, but he didn't bring it up again. Xion slowly looked to where Axel was, as well, blinking wearily against the sunlight. He was lounged on the ground a very _safe _distance away from the water, an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the sun.

"You want to swim?" Roxas asked, nudging Xion with his foot.

She looked back up at him. Swallowed.

"I… I think I'll pass…" she told him.

Roxas grimaced. "It's relaxing, though. I think you'd like it. I think you'd like it a lot."

And Xion couldn't argue there. Her bones ached for the ocean, and what fragile memories were left over from Sora longed to have it surround her. But she did not wish to have her data fail like it had on the clock tower—drowning would certainly not be a pleasant way to die.

She couldn't bear to tell Roxas that, though.

"I'll pass," she told him again.

He shrugged and waded back out into the sea. Axel groaned on the shore. Xion turned her gaze back to the horizon, inhaling the salt air with deep breaths. She dug her fingers into the sand until the grains under her fingernails hurt, until her palms hurt from the pressure.

A week, she'd promised Axel. Or had it been until they got to the beach? No, no, it had been a week. She'd already reminded herself that. Hadn't she? Roxas was out in the ocean, stripped to the waist, splashing around like he was—

_Like he was made for the water. _She'd already thought this.

Xion squeezed her eyes shut. A week. She could do a week. It would be hell, but she would do it.

"Hey, wait!" Axel's voice brought her out of thoughts. She turned to look at him—as quickly as she could manage, though the action still made her neck ache. He'd sat up, eyes squinting around the area.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"I thought I heard…" Axel began, but broke off.

"Locals?" Xion offered.

"I guess it could've been," Roxas agreed. He was standing next to her again, running a hand through his wet hair to get it out of his eyes. "Axel…?"

Axel snapped his head over to them, as if he'd forgotten they were there. Then he jumped to his feet. "Well, I should definitely get going, regardless," he said, dusting sand off of himself. "If you think it is locals, maybe you two should head back, too."

"A couple more minutes couldn't hurt," Roxas said. "Here, let me help you—"

"You are still_ soaking wet, _Roxas, don't touch me!"

Roxas laughed. Xion found her own mouth twitching into a smile.

"See you, Axel!" she called.

"Uh-huh."

Axel left in a hurried dark corridor, probably hoping to leave before Roxas could get him wet. Roxas was still laughing, and still raking hair out of his eyes. Xion let out a long breath, then reached for her boots.

"Oh, you think we should go?" Roxas asked her, as he realized what she was doing.

Xion took a moment to respond, unable to process talking and pushing her foot into her boot at the same time. Once she had it on, she grabbed the other one, and spoke. "Well, I might enjoy it more if… you… know…" She chewed her tongue and pulled on her other boot.

"Yeah, and I guess running into locals wouldn't be a good thing," Roxas agreed. "It was… …Xion?"

"What?"

His voice had gotten lost to her. She blinked a few times at him, fumbling as she put her gloves back on, then wincing as she realized she should've wiped the sand off of her palms first.

"I said, _it was fun, right?_" Roxas was slipping back into his cloak, now.

"Oh. Yeah."

**xxx**

"So?" Xigbar asked, mouth drawn into a sideways grin. "What are we gonna do about it?"

Xemnas chuckled, just once. "Isn't it obvious? I do not think we have another choice. Saix…?"

"I'll send someone to take care of it immediately, sir."

**xxx**

Roxas pressed the back of his hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. Even if he didn't need to sleep as much as everyone else, being a Replica, it didn't mean he wasn't still a little groggy _after _sleeping. He eased open his door and stepped into the hallway. He'd gotten two steps away from his door when Axel caught him by the shoulder.

"Hey, Roxas!" Axel laughed, with a grin Roxas knew to be fake. Axel's eyes darted around, then with a brief flash of a finger to his lips, he signaled Roxas to be quiet, and listen. Roxas had the sense to keep his face as straight as possible while he was at it.

"Look, there's a meeting that Xemnas just called, and you aren't supposed to know about it," Axel said, in a drastic lowering of his voice. Roxas was glad Replicas—or, at least, he—had enhanced hearing, so Axel didn't have to lean in closer. "I think you'll want to come, though."

"You think Xemnas won't notice?" Roxas asked, in surprise. He did sit near directly across from Xemnas, after all.

"Whether or not you actually go is up to you. If you don't want to risk it, that's fine, and I understand. I just wanted to tell you." Axel clapped him twice on the back, and started walking. "Good luck on your missions, alright, Roxas?" With a wave of his hand, he vanished through a dark corridor.

Roxas stared at where Axel had just been, and clucked his tongue.

A meeting he wasn't supposed to know about, huh?


	27. Chapter 27

**_Chapter 27_**

Axel tore his eyes away from Roxas again, not wanting to draw attention to him by looking at him too much. If any of the other members noticed him—and, they probably had—they at least weren't saying anything. Roxas's eavesdropping on this meeting might go unnoticed, so long as he kept his mouth shut.

Xemnas finally joined them, and Axel turned his attention to the boss, all while chewing the inside of his cheek. Xemnas didn't look at Roxas. Yet.

"We've gotten disturbing reports about a stray Replica," Xemnas said. "A girl with black hair who should have been eliminated long ago—Saix has someone taking care of her, but should you see her, you are to kill her."

Axel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd had a feeling it would come to this. He'd seen a dark corridor open on the beach yesterday, and while he hadn't seen who had left through it, he hadn't doubted it was one of Xemnas's spies. That was why he'd told Roxas about this meeting. Roxas deserved to know, deserved to hear Xemnas issue the order himself.

It wasn't like the truth would stay hidden from Roxas, anyway.

Now, if only Roxas could keep his—

"Wait, are you _kidding me!?_"

—temper.

Roxas had pounded a fist against the arm of his chair, and looked about ready to launch himself out of it. "Why does she need to be killed? She's not a _threat_ or anything. She couldn't hurt anyone even if she wanted to! Why does she need to die?"

Axel pushed down the uneasiness on his stomach. First of all, he didn't have a heart, and shouldn't be feeling it. Second of all, he'd brought this on himself. There was no use in complaining about it.

Xemnas's eyes flashed down to Roxas, only for a moment, and then he looked around the room. Looked at each of them in turn. Axel did his best not to move, not to shift, not to draw attention to himself.

"Who told him about this meeting?" Xemnas asked.

"Are you _serious!?_" Roxas screamed. He wasn't taking the being ignored and spoken about as if he wasn't there very well. He looked about ready to say something else, but then he formed a dark corridor, and he was gone.

Axel sighed. He'd brought this on himself.

"New orders," Xemnas said, without dropping a beat. "The girl is to be killed, and Roxas is to be brought back at any cost. So long as he functions, I care not what harm is done to him. Saix?"

Saix turned to Xemnas, waiting his orders.

"Go after him."

Saix nodded, and was gone.

Xemnas turned to the room again.

"As for the rest of you, you need not do anything unless you see them."

Demyx moaned a little. "Aw, come on, don't you think that's a little harsh? Why _do _we need to kill the girl, anyway?"

"She's a distraction to Roxas, that's why!" Xigbar chimed in. "I hear he was thinkin' about deserting us because of her!" Axel made a face. He was second guessing his decision to tell Roxas about this meeting.

Demyx shook his head. "I still don't think _killing _her would be—"

"Would you rather Roxas betray us?" Xaldin demanded.

Demyx closed his mouth and sunk down into his chair.

"Why can't we just build a new Roxas?" Luxord asked, turning to look at Xemnas. "Surely it would serve the same purpose. And it would be much easier than going through all the trouble of dragging him back and Rewriting him."

"Can't without a full Program!" Xigbar said.

"Killing the girl and getting Roxas _back _so we may Rewrite him is top priority," Xemnas added. "Then Saix will return to his task of retrieving the full Program from the Rebellion. Unless… one of you wishes to do that in his stead."

The room went absolutely silent. No surprise.

"Exactly."

Xemnas left.

No one else moved.

Axel chewed the inside of his cheek harder, considering Xigbar, who eyed him back with a shark-like grin. Axel hated when he smiled like that. It made him seem like he knew more than he was telling you, and in most cases, he did.

"You look like you're burning to say something, Axel," Luxord's voice called from below. "What is it?"

Axel cleared his throat. Eyed Luxord, then fixed his attention back on Xigbar. He tried to look comfortable, casual, by lounging in his chair a little, though his arms were crossed tightly over his chest.

"How did you find out about the girl, anyway?" he asked.

Xigbar's grin only widened. "Roxas went to the beach yesterday, that's how! And while him going to the beach in his downtime isn't a problem, I just had to check since he picked Sora's homeworld as his relaxation spot. And what should I find there with him but a girl, and… oh yeah. _You._"

Axel winced. If he chewed his cheek any harder he'd draw blood.

"Well…" he began.

"Why didn't you tell us about the girl, huh, Flamesilocks?" Xigbar asked. Clearly he didn't intend to give Axel time to recuperate, which Axel understood. He wouldn't have, either, had he been in Xigbar's position. "I mean, _surely _you knew about her before today. You all seemed pretty chummy with each other, after all."

Axel chose his words very carefully. Roxas and Xion were already in hot water, but maybe he could keep himself out of it.

"She wasn't a problem."

"And yet, we're told that, because of her, Roxas wishes to desert," Xaldin butt in. "I do not see how that is not a problem."

"Look, okay, I didn't know about that before today."

"You still shoulda told us," Xigbar said. "One of the Vexen Replicas says he's been looking for that girl for a while—says that even Vexen woulda Deactivated her, if he'd been around."

"Why?" Demyx asked.

Xigbar shrugged. "Something about her being a failure, I dunno."

"I didn't know about that, either," Axel said. The lie was not as sour on his lips as it could have been. It wasn't like he _truly _knew the extent of Xion's condition, after all.

"Whether you knew or not should not have mattered." Xaldin stared down at Axel from his seat at Xemnas's left. He rarely flaunted his position as Number 3 within the Organization, but when he did, it was always at the most unfortunate times. "Why should you have let Roxas get to know her so well if you had the power to stop it?"

"He was allowed to hang out with all the other Replicas! How was I supposed to know she was a separate case?" Axel argued, leaning forward in his chair. "It's not like I had orders to—"

"No, but you do now."

Axel rounded on Xigbar. "_What?_"

Xigbar just smiled back at him with that wide-toothed grin.

"Same orders Saix was given. Kill the girl. Bring Roxas back."

Axel felt like he had just been struck in the chest.

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

"I can call Xemnas back in here and have him give you the orders, if you'd like," Xigbar said, neither his grin nor the glint in his eye faltering. "But I'm sure they'll mean the same coming from me. I am Number 2 in the Organization, aren't I?"

"Why do we need two people on it, though?" Demyx protested, as if attempting to come to Axel's rescue. "I mean, Saix has gotta have it handled!"

Xigbar only laughed. "Consider it punishment for not telling us about the girl."

Axel gripped the arm of his chair, trying hard to deny the roiling in his chest.

"You- you can't mean that!" he demanded.

Xigbar didn't respond. He didn't need to. Xaldin was quick to pick up where he left off.

"Why do you hesitate? It was a direct order, after all, and you know the consequences for refusing."

Axel glared. A growl rose in his throat, but he pushed it down, and threw his arms up in the air.

"No, no, I'm going. Fine. Whatever."

He formed a dark corridor around himself.

**xxx**

Roxas's first stop was Xion's room. She wasn't there, like he'd hoped—but not expected—her to be. Xion? A target? He still wasn't exactly sure why, and he certainly wasn't happy. Once he found her, and once they got her cured, he'd have to talk her into… doing something. He wasn't sure how long they could live on the run from the Organization, but it was their only option, when it came down to it. He wasn't going to back to them again.

Roxas's second stop was 7's, figuring he'd be the easiest person to locate who would know about what happened to Xion.

"Have you seen Xion?"

7 looked up at him, and shook his head. His attention returned to his computer immediately, where he typed a few things. "I haven't seen her, but I heard that two Replicas sent by Saix came for her, and then that she left. Where to, I'm not sure, but reports seem to be that she isn't in C.O."

"Right."

Roxas had figured as much, though Castle Oblivion _was _big enough to hide in, had Xion attempted to stay hidden here.

"Forgive me for not looking for her, or anything, but we are on a time limit for this cure, and finding her won't do us much good if it isn't finished," 7 said.

"What? Oh. That's alright." Roxas smiled at him, briefly—he couldn't manage more than that. "How long 'til you're finished, anyway?"

"Another day or so, unfortunately."

"Well, I'll have her back by then! No worries."

Twilight Town was the next obvious place to check, so he headed there. It was a pretty big town to comb through, though. Not to mention this was the first place anyone from the Organization would check when looking for him. He'd have to be quick about looking through here.

Still, he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling in his gut. _The way Xion's been talking lately about giving up… and the Organization finding out about her… _He stopped his thoughts there with a firm shake of his head. _No, it's gotta be a coincidence. It's gotta be._


	28. Chapter 28

**_Chapter 28_**

Quite honestly, she wasn't entirely sure where she was. She knew this world—she knew she knew this world—but besides the woods she had been walking through for the past few minutes, nothing else was really clear. Why wasn't she in Castle Oblivion? She'd left all of a sudden and…

Xion squeezed her eyes shut. No memories, and no explanation, came.

"Xion!"

That was Axel's voice! She turned to find him rushing to her. Had she not been so relieved to see him—or, really, _anything _familiar—she might have noticed how uneasy he looked.

"Axel, thank good- goodness…" she began. The words _It's so nice to see a familiar face! _were lost before they could leave her lips, and she didn't even realize.

"Don't thank me yet," he replied. She squinted up at him, still not seeing the scrunch of his brow and grimace on his lips.

"Can- can you tell me what's going…"

"Well, the Organization has ordered you dead, for starters," Axel said.

Xion nodded. "Right." That would explain a lot. She blinked one, two, three times, each blink longer than the last. Memories were coming back to her in jumps and jolts, but none of them clear. "What about Roxas?" For some reason the two were tied in her mind, and she didn't understand why. Her fate, and Roxas's. Why would they be linked?

"You haven't seen him?" Axel asked. If Xion didn't know him better, she would have said he sounded worried, if not panicked.

Speaking was too much, so she only shook her head in reply.

Axel let out a sound between a sigh and a growl. "Well, he ran off to find you once he heard. I have orders to bring him in."

"Then do… it," Xion said. That was clear. In fact, it was the clearest thing in her head. Roxas had to go back to the Organization. But why? She felt like there was a specific reason, but with all the buzzing and jumbling of her brain, it was lost. "He has to… go back, Axel. He has to…"

"He's not going to until you're safe."

Safe? Safe from what? The Organization? No, there was something more. But what? She wished her brain wasn't so fuzzy so she could figure it out. Why was she in danger? Why did Roxas have to go back to the Organization?

There was something very important. Something she couldn't remember.

"Axel… What's- what's going to…"

Something she couldn't remember. Something wrong with her. Data—deteriorating. _"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't collapse two seconds after 7 activated you." _Words and images rushed her head. Something was wrong with her. She was dying. The throbbing in her side and legs and shoulder suddenly made sense.

"What's going to what? Xion?"

Axel's voice finally made it to her ears. She turned to him, looking at him for a moment with surprise. It took a second to remember she'd been talking to him. That she hadn't been alone.

"What?"

"You were going to say something."

"I…" She shook her head. Whatever it was, was lost. "I have no idea."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

That seemed like a strange question. She laughed a little at it, even. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact the Organization wants you dead and Roxas is in as much hot water!" Axel flared with irritation, taking a step towards her, towering above her. She leaned back, away from him, mind reeling to process all this information, and for the most part, failing. "You just going to let them kill you?"

Death wouldn't be so bad, would it? But why was Axel so angry about this? Why did there appear to be a pain behind his eyes? Something burned in her. Something important.

"What- what about Roxas?" she asked. Had she asked that already? Roxas had to go back to the Organization.

Axel hesitated a long moment, looking like he was chewing on something foul. "You and Roxas are going to have to be on the run forever unless you want him to be Rewritten…" he said, grinding out each word like they pained him.

Xion took a deep breath. Nodded. She knew what needed to be done. She couldn't say why the idea of running sounded so horrible, but it did. Why? Her brain hurt too much to think about it. Maybe it was because running was no use. That had to be it.

Running would only bring death.

"Make sure Roxas goes back," Xion told Axel, and she started moving.

"Xion, wait, where are you _going?_"

"Roxas has to go back."

"He won't go back if you- if you—_Xion, _you _can't! _He'll never—" Axel stopped himself again. "But even if you don't… It doesn't matter…" He laughed, bitterly, drawing Xion's attention back to him. She didn't understand a word he was saying, but she understood he was upset.

"Axel…"

She didn't have time to say anymore. Roxas's voice cut through the trees.

"_Xion!_"

Running was death.

Roxas had to go back.

Her feet seemed rooted to the spot, though. Had Axel not shoved her forward, she doubted she would have moved at all.

"Go! Quick!" Axel hissed.

Roxas was coming into view. She sent him a look, and then Axel, and then darted through a dark corridor.

**xxx**

"_Axel!_ What are you doing!?"

Had he just let Xion go? He _had _just let Xion go! What was he _thinking? _Roxas's run became quicker, and he almost summoned his Keyblade before he realized himself. Axel didn't stay still, he backed up into the clearing—the clearing right in front of the old mansion, which Roxas had only laid eyes on once before this.

Roxas skidded to a stop, his feet kicking up grass and dirt from the ground below him, as Axel stood uncomfortably in the shadow of the mansion. Axel did not look at him. He did not look at him, but looked to the side, avoiding him. Roxas was too well programed not to notice, not to recognize this physical tick of Axel's—of avoiding eye contact when he did not want a confrontation.

"Why didn't you _stop her, _Axel?" Roxas demanded. He was shouting, and he knew that, and he did not care.

"Roxas, please, listen to me," Axel began, turning to him. Roxas wouldn't hear it. Roxas _refused _to hear it. He didn't want some wordy beat-around-the-bush excuse, he wanted an explanation, he wanted _answers._

"Why did you let her go?" he asked. Maybe it'd be clearer that way. Xion was on the verge of death, and how were they to save her if Axel would let her go the moment he was distracted? How was he supposed to save her, if he could not get her back to C.O. in time?

"Why did you go after her, Roxas?" Axel countered. For the circumstances, his voice was surprisingly even, but it still trembled. "You knew what was going to happen to if you ran—Xemnas made that clear _ages _ago. _Why_ are throwing your _life_ away?"

Xemnas wouldn't kill him, and Roxas knew that, and that was enough. He did not think about how Xigbar had followed up that point, did not think about the actual consequences he faced. They did not matter. Nothing but Xion mattered right now. He could not afford to worry about anything else.

"Do you just want me to sit by and let her throw away hers!?" Roxas protested, demanded, yelled. He did not want to think about that possibility, but it was hard not to. It was very hard not to think about _why _Xion was in the position she was in now.

"That's not what's happening!"

"_Is it_?"

Axel paused. He looked away from Roxas. His fists clenched tightly by his sides, and his shoulders slumped, if only for a second. That was all the answer Roxas needed. He shook his head furiously, blinking back the tears in his eyes. He wanted to say something, wanted to argue what beat through him like truth, but his mouth would not form any words, only a few incoherent noises.

"Look, Roxas… my orders were to kill her and bring you back…" Axel scratched the back of his neck, then looked up at Roxas, almost desperately. "If you come back with me, we can tell them that she has been killed, and it won't matter. They won't look for her, and she'll be safe as long as she—"

"_I'm not going back!_"

Roxas did not have to think about those words to force them out of his mouth. There was no way he was going back now, not after this. Xion was right—being Xemnas's puppet was a terrible fate, and he could not bear it any longer. He was tired of it. He wanted to be free, just as much as she did.

"Work with me, Roxas!" And now Axel was shouting, looking about as livid as Roxas felt. "_Please, _I can't refuse orders!"

"Uh, _yeah _you _can!_"

"And what? Get killed?"

"So your life is more important than mine? Than Xion's?"

Axel only hesitated a moment, fingers curling into fists in the air before him before the rage left him in a shout. "I'm _trying _to save you _both!_" His voice shook more than it had yet, more than it was supposed to, when he had no heart. After a deep breath, he continued, a little calmer than he had been before. A little. "Come back for Xion, will you? It will save her. It's the only way to save her."

Roxas shook his head, reigning in his anger and is pain in as well as he could. Resentment still made his words quiver. "I don't believe that," he said. "And what are we supposed to do, anyway? Xion's right about the Organization. They're _not good people._"

"They also hold your life in their hands."

"And so I should listen to them?" Roxas let out a bark of laughter, sharp and short, and anger flared through him. "Wow, I never thought I'd hear that from you, Axel."

"I'm just trying to protect you," Axel said.

"Well I don't _want to be protected!_" Roxas shouted. His control of his anger slipped from his grasp, and he snarled as much as he screamed. "I _will _find Xion, and then I _will _convince her that running won't be so bad, or maybe to join that rebellion. _You _could be a pal and tell the Organization that we're both dead so they won't look for us—if you _really _think that will work."

And then he turned on his heel and started back into the forest.

He had no more time to waste arguing with Axel.

Xion had to be found, soon, before someone else did. She had to be found in time for him to convince her to at least go back to C.O., and then they could go from there, once she was fixed, once she was better. But nothing could be done before—

A chakram flew past his ear, narrowly grazing it. He jolted away from it, and then rounded on Axel, energy sparking in his hand to summon his Keyblade without him making a conscious thought to summon it. Axel was summoning the chakram back to him with a burst of flame, his face set in an expression between fury and determination.

"I'm trying to keep you alive!" Axel said, his voice rising with each syllable. "And I've tried to keep _her_ alive, too! But if it has to come to this? _Fine. _Fine."

"What are you talking about!?"

Axel pointed a chakram at Roxas, settling into a battle position. "You're coming with me, Roxas," he warned. "You're coming with me, whether you want to or not."

Roxas's Keyblade was in his hand now, and he was running at Axel before Axel had a chance to move. Best friend or no, he wouldn't be taken lying down, he wouldn't hold back. He wasn't going back to the Organization, and he certainly wasn't going back like this. Axel _would not _drag him back by the scruff of his neck, like some stray dog.

He was not a _tool _just because he was a Replica.

He would be used no longer.


	29. Chapter 29

**_Chapter 29_**

Having been built to be a weapon, Roxas had a pretty good sense of his enemy's tolerance, and he knew Axel was at breaking point. Another hit would at least knock him out, if not kill him. He was all hunched over, chakrams barely dangling from fingertips, taking heavy breaths. Roxas was breathing heavily as well, but more out of exertion than anything else—he felt alright. Nothing an ether—wait, he didn't have any ethers on him. Still, he was in better shape than Axel.

He did not move out of his battle stance, but he relaxed slightly, relaxed his hold on his Keyblade. "You told me about the meeting this morning," Roxas said. "Why? If you'd known what it was about, you had to know I would go after Xion, and so _why _are you so _upset_?"

"Let me put it… _this _way, Roxas…" Axel gasped. "I _really_… regret telling you."

"Because I'm running? Because I'm doing what you knew I would do?" It took all of Roxas's self-control to not chuck his Keyblade at Axel then and there. Knowing it might kill Axel helped, but only slightly. "_Wow, _Axel. _Wow._" There were hardly words for how disgusted he felt.

"_Please, _Roxas… just… come back…"

"No."

Roxas banished his Keyblade and formed a dark corridor around himself. Axel was in no state to attack further or follow him, so he figured it was pretty safe to leave him there.

The dark corridor took him to Destiny Islands, which surprised him a little. He didn't bother taking no more than a quick glance around for signs of life. Sticking around there was an almost sure-fire way to get himself found, and the chances of Xion having gone there were… Well, not impossible, but slim enough that he didn't want to poke around too much.

Roxas took a deep breath, then closed his eyes, focusing hard on the thought _I want to be where Xion is. _The chances of it working seemed slim, but he didn't exactly have an idea of where to check. To his surprise, when he stepped through the dark corridor, it set him inside a house. More surprising, Xion was sitting on the couch.

And, perhaps, even more surprising, the person sitting in the chair across from the couch was _Kairi. _In fact, Roxas was able to recognize this as Kairi's house, thanks to Sora's memories inside him. The last thing he wanted to be was here—the thought of Kairi helping them out crossed his mind briefly, only for him to realize that even if Xion did stay here, they would still be found, and bringing the Organization to Kairi's doorstep was the last thing he wanted to do.

At the very least, though, she'd be able to help him convince Xion to go back, right? It would feel weird asking that of her, at least at first, but once they explained who they were… and once he explained the circumstances…

"Xion," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "There you—"

That's all he got to say. Xion jolted to her feet as if she'd just realized he was there, and then formed a dark corridor around herself. Roxas's relief immediately became confusion, became horror. Had she just… _run _from him? _Why?_

He looked at Kairi, and then at the other girl in the room—Namine, he realized, but no matter. No time. "Any idea where she went?" If they'd been talking to her…

But they both shook her heads. Roxas muttered a word he'd learned from Axel under his breath, then opened a dark corridor. He caught a "Can you please tell—" from Kairi before the dark corridor enveloped him and the sound was lost.

The sight of Neverland brought a bitter laugh to his lips. Fat chance Xion would be _here! _He closed his eyes and focused again: _I want to be where Xion is. _If it had worked the first time…

This corridor opened into the Lanes of Betwixt and Between, where he saw Xion running in the distance. He quickly ran after her, shouting as he went. "Xion! Please! _Stop running! _Please—" She left through an exit, and Roxas was quick to dart after her.

Roxas hardly took time to register which world they were in, he grabbed Xion as soon as he could, instead. She stopped running when her arm caught in his grasp, but she did not turn to look at him. She only stood there, panting.

"Xion, c'mon, why are you running?"

She didn't answer. With more strength than he would have guessed she had, she pulled from his grasp and started running again. This time she did not form a dark corridor. She bolted deeper into the world.

He ran after her, called after her. The world flickered by him—Hollow Bastion, he realized. That unfortunately meant there was plenty of ruined houses and other rubble for Xion to hide in, should it come to searching for her like that. He pushed the thought out of mind and focused hard on keeping up with her. For someone who was supposed to be dying, she had a surprising amount of energy.

Xion took a right turn ahead of him, and Roxas skidded down the nearest turn he was provided. He sent hasty glances to his left, checking to make sure she was still there. She was. Now, if he could head her off…

There! A pile of rubble that looked easy enough to climb. He ran to it, picking up his pace, and climbed it as much as he jumped over it. He dropped down into the street below on the other side, landing right in front of Xion.

He held out his hands in front of him, to catch her should she forget to stop herself. "Xion, hang on, can we at least—"

She yelped in surprise, stumbling to a halt, arms flailing to keep her balance. Unfortunately, her balance wasn't great to begin with, so she fell. Roxas quickly bent down to help her up.

"Hey, careful, alright? Listen, why are—"

She pushed him off, roughly, scrambling away from him.

"Don't- _touch _m-me!"

"Xion…" He froze where he was. Why was she acting like this? Surely, she couldn't want to— "Xion, come on, tell me what's going on. Why are you running? I talked to 7, and he says the cure is almost done."

"What… are… you _talking _about!?"

Roxas paused, frowning. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised, knowing how incoherent she'd been as of late, but this was still… "Well… you know, the cure? To fix you?" he offered, sending her an uneasy smile. "Unfortunately it's come to running from the Organization for what might be forever, and we can't exactly do that when you're about to—"

Xion shook her head, hard, interrupting him again. He realized now that there were tears in her eyes, and she looked scared, and angry.

"Who... are… you…?"

The words were a blow to Roxas's gut. His knees stopped supporting him, so he had to sit down. She'd forgotten him…? How much else had she forgotten? 7 had never spoken about her condition reaching bad enough to come to this.

Roxas raked a hand through his hair, feeling tears sting in his own eyes. "I'm- I'm _Roxas, _Xion. _Remember?_" It was silly to ask her, to ask that of her, but what else was he to do? "We're- we're friends."

Xion just shook her head at him, staring with wide eyes.

"I…" He licked his lips, not sure how to even begin to explain everything they'd been through, everything she was to him.

"Roxas... you said… your name was?" Xion asked. Each word was labored.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded. "Ring any bells?" The question was more bitter than it was anything else.

"I… maybe…" Xion shrugged, then shook her head again. "I don't know. I'm sorry. Why- Why are we… Was I running? Why were you—"

"Look, Xi, I don't know why you were running. Or, why you were running from me. We're best friends, and I'm only trying to help." He swallowed, taking deep breaths. He didn't want to cry anymore, but, it was hard. He didn't know why she was running. She didn't remember. But memories and moments and clues all flickered through his mind, adding up to one thing, one that he had been trying to ignore.

She wanted an answer from him, but how was he to tell her he thought she was running because she'd given herself up?

"You're… crying…" Xion said. She leaned forward, as if suddenly very interested in his tears.

Her words brought a laugh to his lips, a messy one, and he nodded, reaching up to wipe his eyes. "I, yeah, I am," he said. "I'm just… Y'know, you don't remember me, and that… It hurts, kinda." He sniffed, hard, then looked up at her. "You're- you're crying, too."

She reached up to touch her cheek, and jolted a little, obviously surprised to feel tears there. "I… I am… I don't…" She shook her head. "I don't know why."

Roxas cleared his throat. "Look, Xion, I…" He paused to scrub at his eyes again. "I know… how this must be for you… being chased down by me… when I'm just a stranger to you…" It was hard to get the words out, but he had to. And perhaps this was for the best—it couldn't be too hard to convince her to go back when she couldn't remember why she was running, right? And maybe the cure would fix her memories, as well.

He cleared his throat again and held out a hand to her. "Look, could you trust me enough to come with me? I can take you somewhere safe, and maybe we can get your memories back…"

Xion looked at him, then his hand, then at him again. She did nothing but stare, and Roxas felt like his heart would burst while he waited for her to answer.

"Well…?"

She hesitated, then shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry… Roxas…"

He lowered his hand, and nodded, trying to smile. "That's alright, I- I get it." He swallowed. "I wouldn't trust- trust a stranger either." He hiccupped, then grimaced, and wiped the tears from his eyes again.

"_Sorry,_" Xion repeated, and she sounded like she meant it.

"Can we- can we at least get off the streets and into one of these houses?" Roxas asked, pushing himself to his feet. He held out a hand to help her up. "It'll be, uh… well… might be more comfortable." It didn't feel right to explain to her the Organization was a little less likely to find them if they weren't out in the open.

Xion nodded, but did not take his hand. She got up on her own, and though she swayed and staggered, she refused his help when he offered it. She made it inside the nearest house okay, at least. The house was crumbled and was missing one large chunk of wall, and the furniture inside was a mess, but it was more intact than most houses around. There was only one chair left in recognizable state, but it was missing a leg, so they both ended up sitting on the ground.

Roxas took a deep breath. She wouldn't go back without her memories, so his only hope now was to try and jog her memory. So he set about explaining…


	30. Chapter 30

**_Chapter 30_**

Xion tried her hardest to listen to the boy—Roxas, his name was, and she had to keep reminding herself—and she tried even harder to have his words _mean _something, but they didn't. They only thing he'd done that sparked any sort of memory was summon that blade of his. The Keyblade. Unfortunately, it had only been a brief rush of memory, and none that had stayed long with her.

She did not understand who or what 7 was. She did not understand what Roxas meant by the Organization, by a cure. She did understand she was dying, though. It was hard not to, hard to forget her own body and how tired she felt, how much _pain _she felt. A potion from Roxas had made it lessen, a bit, but not by much.

Roxas kept telling her that if they went back to C.O.—wherever that was—they could fix her. Make the pain stop. Make her body stop dying. But she did not want to go. She was scared. She didn't know of what, she just… was.

"—not even sure what happened, but something happened," Roxas was saying, "and then you fell. And I was _so scared _I thought you were gonna die. But Axel! Axel saved you. He—"

_Axel._

The name sparked another memory in Xion. A stronger one.

_"He has to go back, Axel."_

The words were her own. She got a sense of a perpetual sunset, of someone towering over her.

_Roxas has to go back._

There was more to the memory than that, but it wasn't as clear, and was muddled in her mind before long. Roxas had to go back. She wasn't sure what to, exactly—the Organization, her brain tried to supply, but she could not grasp that information for long. _Roxas had to go back. _That was clear.

Xion wasn't sure if he'd go back with her, or without her, which way would guarantee it. Only one of them would, and she knew that, but which? It was only one. She tried to think about it, she tried, except every time she felt like she had an answer, Roxas would say something to derail her thoughts.

She thought about asking him to stop, just for a moment, to stop talking. Honestly, she thought she _had _asked, already. Maybe. He was still talking, though. She gritted her teeth and thought _hard. _This was _important._

Roxas had to go back, and—

Two… white… _things _slithered into the room through the hole in the wall. They looked about human sized, but they did not move like any human. The considered the rocks and rubble for a bit before abruptly stopping before the two of them. Xion blinked, then turned to Roxas, who seemed just as stunned—if not _horrified._

"Hey, shh," he whispered. "Don't say we were here. Okay? Whoever sent you in here, just… just don't listen to them, and go back to the World that Never Was and… Forget you saw us."

The white things considered him a moment more, then slowly slithered back out of the house.

"I think they listened," Roxas said, sending a glance at Xion. He cleared his throat. "Well. Maybe. We should probably—"

The wall opposite them suddenly shattered, revealing another white thing, though this one was much bigger, and seemed to be wielding something like a giant hammer. It stomped into the room, followed by a second. Roxas grabbed her by the arm. He tried to tug her to her feet, but she needed more time to stand.

One of the things grabbed her by the other arm. It easily pulled her out of Roxas's grasp and tossed her like a ragdoll into the street. Her vision went black, and her mind swam with pain. Before she could recover, someone was yanking her off the ground by the collar of her cloak.

"There you are."

The voice was cold and cruel.

When her vision returned, she saw its owner. A man with blue hair and a scar in the shape of an X on his face. He smiled at her. A shiver went down her spine. She knew him—or she thought she knew him, and she thought she knew what he meant.

He meant death.

For the both of them.

And she could not bear to see Roxas share that fate.

"Roxas!" she called, though it was a struggle to speak. It had been a struggle to speak for as long as she could remember, which wasn't that long, but felt much longer because it was _all _she could remember. "You have… to go! Go- go _back!_"

The man's smile widened. "At least you have some sense."

Immense pain flooded Xion, suddenly, rapidly, starting in her stomach and spreading through her whole body. The last thing she registered was the blue-haired man's smirking eyes, and Roxas screaming.

And then nothing.

**xxx**

It all happened extremely fast. First a Berserker broke down the wall, then another pulled Xion away from him, while another grabbed him from behind and held him down. As much as Roxas had tried to struggle, it was no use. The Berserker was too strong.

All he could do was watch as Saix plunged his claymore into Xion.

He screamed, and he _swore _he heard Saix laugh, but Xion said nothing. She was gone almost as soon as the claymore hit her.

Something boiled up inside of Roxas, something furious, and with a cry, it broke from him. The _something _turned out to be solid light, which threw the Berserker off of him, and even made Saix stagger.

Roxas jumped to his feet. Pulled at the something within him and released it again. He could see now it wasn't just solid light, but pillars of it. His vision was too blurred to count how many, and honestly, he didn't much care. One of the pillars hit Saix, though, sending him further back, and Roxas was on him with Keyblade in hand before he could recover.

Roxas struck and struck, screaming, until tears blurred his vision completely. Saix sent him back with a powerful blast, and his head hit a piece of rubble, but Roxas got back up. He kept getting back up, every time Saix knocked him down. He continued letting what felt like an endless reservoir of light and power explode from him, continued striking with his Keyblade.

"_Xion!_" he screamed. "_You killed Xion! _You _killed her!_" And he kept screaming, kept striking, her name on his lips each time he was knocked down, each time he got back up, until the blood in his mouth made her name no more than a gurgle, until he was unable to do anything more than scream in an endless shriek of pain and grief.

Xion was dead. And the worst part? Not only had she refused to fight back, but her dying wish was for him to return to the Organization. To the Organization that had ordered her death, to the Organization that had slaughtered her, to the Organization she swore she would never work for. He could not agree to that, and perhaps that hurt worst of all.

"Stop _fighting!_" Saix shouted at him. He seemed to be radiating with his fury.

"_NEVER!_"

Roxas had to spit blood out of his mouth after that cry. He would have cried again, but he couldn't get enough air into his lungs to do so. He could not summon any more light. Just trying to made him so dizzy he thought he would collapse. His arms felt heavy, but he still raised his Keyblade to strike Saix.

He would not quit until he saw Saix die.

He would not quit until he saw the whole Organization die.

He would not—

The claymore in his gut did not come as a surprise, only as a disappointment. The Keyblade fell from his hand. He took a shuddering breath, then coughed on the blood he'd inhaled.

Saix looked first satisfied, and then horrified.

Roxas let his lips tug into a smile, as his mind blurred. If the last thing he got to see was Saix's discomfort, then so be it. He was not so sure that Replicas got any sort of afterlife, but if they did, then, well, he could see Xion again.

That would be enough.


	31. Addendum

**AN/ **This is an addendum which covers the full "Xion in Kairi's house" scene, since Roxas saw maybe two seconds of it. This is kind of something that better belongs in ASAS, but I wanted to put it in a slightly-more-canon context, aka, as an addendum to Nothing's Fair. (Not saying most chapters of ASAS _aren't _canon, I just get the feeling that not everyone looks at it.)

Final/ending notes will be put in the next chapter.

* * *

It was a relatively normal and boring day for the end of winter break. Namine was sitting on the couch, drawing what was probably another picture of Riku. Kairi had only seen a couple glances at Namine's sketchbooks, but she wasn't stupid enough to not realize that at least half the pictures were lovingly framed sketches of Riku.

Kairi, meanwhile, was sprawled on the floor, trying to get through the reading assignment for winter break, and struggling. Books weren't _exactly _her thing, and nonfiction were worse than the rest. Had Sora been here, it might have been easier—the last few reading assignments they'd had were done by alternating reading the text in mocking tones. That sort of thing just _wasn't _the same with Namine…

Kairi was just debating getting a pencil and some paper and copy down the vocab words for this chapter—they'd have a vocab assignment on it _eventually—_when something burst into existence about two feet in front of her. It was one of those… dark portal things that Namine and Riku could use that also made her itch like crazy.

She wasn't sure who or what she expected to come out of the portal, but she _certainly _hadn't been expecting a rather dazed girl to stumble out of it as it closed.

"Uh…" Kairi slowly sat up straight, leaving the book on the floor. The new arrival had collapsed into a heap and was breathing very heavily. "Well, I was going to ask who you were, but, I guess _are you okay _is a slightly more important question."

The girl didn't move, but her breathing slowed a little. Her lack of response, after a moment, made Kairi uncertain that her question had been heard. She turned to look at Namine, who was sitting wide-eyed and sketchbook abandoned in her lap (she had been drawing Riku). Namine realized Kairi was looking at her, and shrugged, shaking her head.

Kairi sighed, took her book and pushed behind her so it was no longer between her and this girl that had just arrived. She didn't move too close to the girl, afraid to startle her—did she recognize that cloak the girl was wearing?

"Are you okay?" she repeated, a little louder this time.

The girl looked up at her with wide eyes that, for a second, did not seem to register her face. Kairi frowned, and the girl slowly straightened. She was still breathing hard, if not as hard as she had been when she arrived.

"Uhm…" the girl began, then trailed off. She blinked once, twice, scrunching up her face hard in what Kairi knew was concentration. "I'm- I'm…" She looked around her, eyes searching her surroundings, the blankness on her face suggesting she did not exactly see them.

"Alright, who are you?" Kairi pressed on. "Can you tell me that?" Based on the girl's skin, she could easily pass as a Destiny Islands native—though her _face… _It was almost like looking in a mirror, Kairi thought, with how similar their faces were. The only difference besides their skin and the girl's darker hair was the girl's nose was not slightly crooked, as Kairi's was, from breaking it… well, more than once in the past.

The girl blinked a few more times. "I… …Xion. Xion… is… my name…" She struggled to get each word out. "Where- where… am I…?" Each word was interspaced with a blink and a heavy breath, each blink longer than the last, and each breath more labored.

"My house," Kairi answered. "Are you hurt?" She tried to speak slowly, wondering if Xion was having as much trouble comprehending words as she was saying them.

"I- I don't… think… so…" Xion said, but she looked confused, as if she wasn't _really _sure.

Kairi chewed her lip, wondering if they should get this girl medical attention, and more importantly, whether or not doing that before getting some more answers out of her was a good idea. Then her hospitality kicked in, and she got to her feet. What Xion needed first, was a glass of water, and then maybe one of the potions her dad kept in the hall cabinet.

"Namine, make room for Xion on the couch—Xion, you want something to drink?" She was getting Xion a glass of water regardless, but it couldn't hurt to ask if she wanted something else. "We've got all sorts of juice and… some soda…"

"Uh…"

"Juice is probably the better option," Namine called.

"True."

When Kairi poked her head back out of the kitchen—just briefly, to check—Namine was helping Xion onto the couch. Maybe she was injured, if she couldn't stand on her own… _That, or it's dehydration, _Kairi told herself, as she pulled down glasses to get all of them drinks. Well, she got a glass of water for Xion, and a glass of juice which she'd probably give to Namine. She'd come back for juice for herself and maybe for Xion, seeing as she only had two hands.

"Here," she said, pressing the water into Xion's hands. Xion took it and stammered a bewildered thanks. Kairi offered the juice to Namine, and when she said no, pulled up a chair for herself so she could sit across from the couch.

Xion took a hesitant sip of the water, and then looked up at Kairi with narrowed eyes. "Uh, who… are you, anyway?" she asked. "I, uh- I never… you never…"

"Kairi. I'm Kairi. And that's Namine."

Namine smiled and waved slightly, but Xion's attention was fixed entirely on Kairi. Her eyes had widened in an expression Kairi could not specifically peg as either surprise or awe, though it certainly looked like one of those.

"Kairi…" Xion said, slowly. "I… I know…" She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, but when she continued speaking, it was with a fervent excitement. "I know you! I- I think I… know you."

Kairi raised her eyebrows. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in her mouth. "Uh-hum, I'm not… so sure—" Namine cut her off with a wave of her hand and a stern look. Once she had Kairi's attention, she mouthed a single word:

'_Replica.'_

Kairi's face scrunched up in further confusion.

'_Of who?_'

Namine opened her mouth to answer, then paused, then frowned. After a second she held up a finger to signal Kairi to hold on, and then she reached for her sketchbook and started drawing something. Xion did not appear to notice the exchange.

"I'm still… not sure how you know me…" Kairi said, to Xion, hoping maybe to get an answer before Namine was finished.

"I- I just… I thought I—" Xion stopped and rubbed at her head, slowly shaking it. "I just thought… _Gosh, _I'm sorry, it's all… it's all… I- I can't…" She squeezed her eyes shut, and the glass of water trembled in her grasp. "…fuzzy. It's… fuzzy."

Right. Kairi'd forgotten the potion she'd meant to grab. She left her glass of juice on the table on the way to get it, and returned shortly. "Drink this," she told Xion. "It might help. And definitely try and drink all the water."

Namine sent her a brief look that suggested she didn't so firmly believe it would do anything, but she'd buried her nose in the sketchbook before Kairi could comment. Kairi only rolled her eyes and returned to her chair, forgetting her juice. Replica or not, it wasn't like water could _hurt._

"Do you know how you got here?" she asked Xion. "Or, _why _you came here, specifically?"

Xion just shook her head. She'd finished the potion, and had gone back to sipping on the water. "I… no. I don't know… I don't even really know… why I'm… Why…"

She trailed off. Kairi waited to press, not wanting to derail her apparently fragile train of thought. She let a minute tick by, and then decided if Xion did not have the thought by now, she probably wouldn't have it anytime soon.

"Xion?" she asked. "Why you're what?"

Xion looked up at her with a blank stare. She shook her head from side to side. "I don't know. I don't…"

"Drink your water," Kairi said. At this rate, she figured Xion would have to be reminded of that every few minutes, because she seemed to keep forgetting.

The question now: what to do with her? Get her water and maybe feed her while they waited for Kairi's dad to get home was Kairi's first choice—but if Xion was a Replica, like Namine suspected… would it be a good idea to have her stick around until her dad showed up? And medical attention was likely out of the question, or getting doctors involved certainly was. Maybe they'd have to take her to another world, but… where? Kairi certainly didn't know of any place, and unless Namine did, they were out of luck.

Perhaps they'd have to keep Xion here until she could remember where she came from, or where she was going. Actually… Kairi hadn't _asked _where Xion had come from, now that she thought about it.

"Where'd you—" she began, but then another one of those dark portals opened, and out stepped a rather flustered looking boy. His eyes went wide at the sight of her—what was so special about _her?_—before finding Xion.

"Xion!" he exclaimed, sounding _extremely _happy to see her. "There you—"

But Xion jumped to her feet, dropping her glass and spilling her water. Before Kairi or Namine or the boy could say anything, she'd form a dark portal of her own, and she vanished.

"Any idea where she went?" the boy asked.

Kairi and Namine both shook their heads.

"Can you please tell me what's going—" Kairi began, but the boy, too, formed a dark portal and left. "—on…" she finished, then sighed. Namine could only offer her a shrug. Kairi sighed again, and got up to get a towel to clean up the water Xion spilled.

"Got an explanation for me, yet, Namine?" she asked, when she returned.

"Uh, yeah." Namine turned the sketchbook so Kairi could see it—the picture was one of Xion, and one of Sora, though it consisted of nothing more than their faces scrawled side by side.

"She's a Replica of _Sora?_" Kairi asked, in disbelief.

Namine shrugged. "I guess? I'm not really sure, I just… you know… I had one of those feelings. One of the ones I can only channel into drawings."

"I thought you only got those about Riku." It was meant as a tease, but Namine seemed to take it seriously.

"Maybe he met her at one point. I don't know."

"But _why _does she look so much like _me_?" Kairi asked, moving now to put the towel on the ground where the water had spilled, then standing on it to help it soak. "I mean, last I checked, I am not Sora. So why would a Replica of him—"

"I don't know," Namine interrupted. "I don't know."

Kairi rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she supposed it did make _some _sense. While Xion had definitely shared a similar face and similar hair, she'd definitely had Sora's skin. Kairi's skin was darker than Namine's, but it certainly wasn't as dark as Sora's, seeing as her mom had… well, _not _been a native. As for Xion: her thinking she recognized Kairi could be explained if she had Sora's memories—or some of Sora's memories, which was easily possible. Namine swore she had some of Riku's.

Still… why had Xion come here? And why had she left when that boy had shown up? Who was _he? _Why was he looking for Xion? The questions went on, and Kairi wasn't so sure she'd ever get them answered.

She left the towel where it was and took Xion's glass to the kitchen, sending a rueful look at her book on the way. The reading assignment could wait until tomorrow.


End file.
